Many suspected coronavirus carriers are either showing less interest in undergoing tests or hiding information in fear of isolation and social stigma, health experts said.
They warned that this tendency may jeopardize the government’s efforts to contain the pandemic.
They also said many doctors and health workers are getting infected with the deadly virus while dealing with the patients, who go to them by concealing their symptoms and information.
The experts think that the government should focus on dispelling people’s fears about the virus detection and subsequent measures and social stigma alongside building trust that suspects and Covid-19 positive people will be treated with dignity.
At a recent briefing on coronavirus, Health Minister Zahid Maleque said it is a big problem that many people carrying the symptoms of Covid-19 are concealing information and showing little interest in undergoing tests.
“That’s why many of our doctors and health workers are getting infected with the virus. Such a tendency is very alarming.
“If there are symptoms, there should be tests. There are enough kits and more are being brought. When the number of tests will increase, coronavirus patients will be detected and it’ll be possible to prevent its spread,” he said.
Fear of social stigma
Vice-Chancellor of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) Prof Kanak Kanti Barua said a dangerous tendency of concealing coronavirus symptoms and medical history has developed among many people out of fear of social stigma and isolation.
“These people are harming themselves as well as their families, neighbours, and the country. People should go to doctors and undergo tests if the coronavirus symptoms develop among them,” he said.
The BSMMU VC said everyone should consider coronavirus as a disease like other ones instead of a stigma.
“Anyone can get infected with it if they don’t strictly follow the health hygiene and social distancing rules. But they should not be worried about it as 80% people can recover from it without going to hospital and just remaining isolated and following doctors’ advice,” Kanak said.
He said many people think that they will be picked up and taken to isolation centres and their houses will be locked down and their family members will be treated negatively and people will boycott them if they test Covid-19 positive.
“That’s why they don’t take interest in the Covid-19 test. Even some of them come to doctors, but hide medical history and their location.
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“We need to address this problem, or else our efforts to check the virus will fall apart as these people will remain undetected and continue to transmit the virus among their family members and other people who will come in their contact,” he added.
Doctors, nurses infected
Dhaka Medical College Principal Prof Khan Abul Kalam Azad said some doctors and nurses have got infected by handling patients, who concealed their medical history and symptoms of coronavirus.
“A patient got admitted to our hospital’s Pediatric Ward hiding her coronavirus symptoms on Saturday and four of our nurses of the ward got infected with the virus.
“The patient also tested positive for the virus. A doctor at Suhrawardy Hospital also tested positive for the virus after handling a corona patient who also concealed information,” he said.
False information
Khan also said many patients coming from coronavirus clusters like Narayanganj, Mirpur, and Narsingdi are also giving fake information about their addresses.
“They say they are from Bogra or other districts where the transmission rate is still very low,” he said.
“Ninety-two patients of our hospitals were tested on Sunday and 52 of them were positive for the virus though it’s not a Covid-19 hospital. It’s very alarming.
“If it continues our healthcare system will break down. If our doctors and nurses get infected by taking care of untested patients who will treat the patients? It’ll create a big new crisis,” the DMC principal said.
He said people should understand that if they continue to give false information, doctors will get confused and lose confidence in them.
“Doctors need to know the accurate information and medical history of patients for providing them proper treatment,” Khan added.
‘Create awareness’
He urged the media to create awareness among people to change their hiding tendency and encourage them to go for a test.
Prof Meerjady Sabrina Flora, director of the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control, and Research (IEDCR), said they have an observation that many people are hiding their symptoms or health history.
“People should reveal their symptoms and complications putting aside fear,” she said.
“The earlier we are able to detect the infected people and isolate them from others, the easier it’ll be to contain this virus. So, if people hide their symptoms, we won’t be able to identify them which will make our efforts to overcome the virus harder,” the IEDCR director added.
At their daily briefing on the Covid-19 situation, Flora said they try to encourage people to come forward to undergo tests and focus on detecting coronavirus cases.
“Those who have Covid-19 symptoms should immediately contact the IECDR through hotline numbers or visit the designated hospitals for a test,” Flora added.
