COVID-19 in LMICs: The Need to Place Stigma Front and Centre to Its Response

COVID-19 has caused unprecedented health, economic and societal impacts across the world, including many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The pandemic and its fallout have laid bare deep-seated social and economic inequalities with marginalised groups being at greater risk of infection and...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:European journal of development research 2020-12, Vol.32 (5), p.1592-1612
Main Authors: Roelen, Keetie, Ackley, Caroline, Boyce, Paul, Farina, Nicolas, Ripoll, Santiago
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome
AIDS
Containment
Coronaviruses
COVID-19
Development and Social Change
Development Economics
Development Policy
Development Studies
Ebola virus
Economic inequality
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus
Infectious diseases
Pandemics
Social inequality
Social Sciences
Special Issue
Special Issue Article
Stigma
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Summary:COVID-19 has caused unprecedented health, economic and societal impacts across the world, including many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The pandemic and its fallout have laid bare deep-seated social and economic inequalities with marginalised groups being at greater risk of infection and being disproportionately affected by containment measures and their socioeconomic consequences. Stigma is a central element to such inequalities but remains largely overlooked in the debate on the response to COVID-19, including in LMICs. Yet we know from experiences with other infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS and Ebola that disease-related stigma is detrimental to halting and controlling pandemics and achieving equitable development. Emerging evidence suggests that stigma associated with COVID-19 is already taking hold. This paper assesses potential driving factors of COVID-19-related stigma, and how this intersects with existing stigma fault lines and explores mechanisms through which COVID-19-related stigma may be counteracted, with a focus on LMICs.
ISSN:0957-8811
1743-9728
DOI:10.1057/s41287-020-00316-6