Department of Sociology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Jos, Jos, Nigeria.
West African Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases, Jos University Teaching Hospital, Jos, Nigeria.
Front Public Health. 2024 Jul 15;12:1395939. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1395939. eCollection 2024.
Lassa fever is a zoonotic infectious disease endemic in West Africa with a high case-fatality rate and reported stigmatization of surviving patients. This study examines discrimination among survivors of Lassa fever (LF) complicated by hearing loss (HL).
This cross-sectional qualitative study used an in-depth interview guide to collect information from patients with HL about their experience of stigma. Interviews were conducted by a trained team of interviewers at the Jos University Teaching Hospital between January and April 2022 in Hausa language after informed consent was obtained. Recordings of the interviews were transcribed and translated from Hausa to English. Data analysis was conducted using software using a thematic framework approach.
Most (73%) respondents were male ( = 11); 27% were female ( = 4). The median age was 35 years (interquartile range, 16.5). Some Lassa fever patients experienced stigma and discrimination (53%) including isolation and withdrawal of family and community support during and after illness. HL increased stigma, as some patients were labeled "deaf" by other community members, increasing perceived stigma and devaluation. HL affected the socio-economic wellbeing of some who could not communicate well with their families and customers and constrained social interactions, evoking pain and apathy. Some survivors of LF and victims of its sequelae of HL experienced double stigmatization. While they were ill with LF, a third of respondents reported avoidance and isolation by family and community members who withdrew care and support both to them and their close family members. These forms of stigmatization strained their relationships.
There is a need to address stigma in LF survivors who develop HL through concerted community-owned awareness to improve their quality of life along with a robust social support system to aid prevention.
拉沙热是一种在西非流行的人畜共患传染病，病死率高，并报道了幸存患者受到歧视。本研究调查了拉沙热（LF）合并听力损失（HL）幸存者之间的歧视情况。
本横断面定性研究使用深度访谈指南，从患有 HL 的患者那里收集有关其耻辱感经历的信息。在获得知情同意后，于 2022 年 1 月至 4 月期间，由一组受过培训的访谈者在乔斯大学教学医院用豪萨语进行访谈。访谈的录音被转录并从豪萨语翻译成英语。使用软件使用主题框架方法进行数据分析。
大多数（73%）受访者为男性（ = 11）；27%为女性（ = 4）。中位年龄为 35 岁（四分位距，16.5）。一些拉沙热患者经历了耻辱和歧视（53%），包括在患病期间和之后，家庭和社区支持的隔离和撤回。听力损失增加了耻辱感，因为一些患者被其他社区成员贴上“聋人”的标签，增加了感知耻辱感和贬值感。听力损失影响了一些人的社会经济福利，他们无法与家人和客户进行良好沟通，限制了社交互动，引起痛苦和冷漠。一些 LF 幸存者和 HL 后遗症的受害者经历了双重耻辱。在感染 LF 期间，三分之一的受访者报告称，家人和社区成员回避和隔离他们，既撤回了对他们和他们近亲的照顾和支持。这些形式的耻辱感使他们的关系紧张。
需要通过社区拥有的共识意识来解决 LF 幸存者中出现 HL 的问题，以改善他们的生活质量，并建立强大的社会支持系统来帮助预防。
