DR M AHMED ABDULLAH
I have been fond of keeping dogs as pets, since my childhood.Afew years ago I had two dogs; a three year old Belgian Sheppard and a seven-month old Spitz. Both of them were well socialized and played together all day. The younger one developed a viral illness one day, and the older one developed hatred for him. He would snarl and growl, and didn’t let him come close. This made Billy not only sicker but also confused. I suppose infectious diseases have a similar effect on humans as well. Throughout history, people with contagious conditions have been stigmatized and discriminated against. Lepers were made to wear bells in Medieval Europe, in order to warn people of their arrival. The homes of plague patients were marked by a red cross duringtheBlack Death outbreak in Europe. In recent history HIV/AIDS has been associated with discrimination and stigmatization. The famous Four H club from the early days of HIVincluded Hemophiliacs, Homosexuals, Hispanics and Haitians. Even the legends of our part of the world have stories of disease and social exclusion; such as the story of the famous saint Hazrat Shah Shamsuddin SabzwariTabraizinMultan, who was shunned by everyone because of his Leprosy, so he had to ask God to bring the sun down to cook a piece of fish, that no one else would. The COVID-19 pandemic is also making its own stories of social isolation and discrimination.We are already hearing about incidents of hate against people ofAsian descent. In Pakistan religious groups are facing the music for their practices of gatherings and constant travel. As humans we are inclined to look for the causes of our problems, yet this search for etiology often ends up in a quest to identify someone to blame.We need to realize that this is how nature works. People who are sick need care, people who are in fear need hope and those who are irresponsible need knowledge and awareness. No one wants to contract or spread diseases intentionally. The fear around the idea of quarantine and disease notification, being instilled in people should be alleviated on an urgent basis. Criminalizing disease will only make things worse. The government is doing a good job in contact tracing and targeted lock downs, as the country cannot afford a curfew like situation. We have the example of a failed experiment of this sort from India. Discrimination should be avoided as it makes people avoid diagnosis and identification, and as a result they may act irresponsibly. This can only happen if the mass media takes the front seat in reducing the panic associated with the current outbreak. Empathy must prevail in the healthcare providers; who in turn have returned to their previous glory after many years. There are many silver linings in the present scenario if we act appropriately and in the right time. —The writer is Assistant Professor Public Health, Islamabad Medical and Dental College. Email: [email protected]
