Caregivers’ views on stigmatization and discrimination of people affected by leprosy in Ghana

Abstract

BackgroundLeprosy is a condition that has long been associated with stigma and discrimination, even when infected persons have been cured. This paper describes stigma and discrimination as viewed by caregivers who are associated with people affected by leprosy in Ghana.MethodsA qualitative interview with semi-structured interviews were conducted for twenty caregivers.ResultsFindings indicated that caregivers were of the view that people affected by leprosy in Ghana are stigmatized and discriminated against by the larger society thus making their movements and interactions restricted to the Leprosarium. Besides, employments opportunities are unavailable to them thus making them exposed to financial challenges. The livelihood Empowerment Against poverty (LEAP) money given them is not sufficient for their daily upkeep.ConclusionPeople affected by leprosy in Ghana are stigmatized and therefore find it difficult to interact freely with the public. The associated physical deformities with the disease also tend to impede their ability to relate to the general public. The LEAP cash given to people affected by leprosy is helpful however, it could be enhanced to keep pace with prevailing economic conditions in the country.

Múltiplas dimensões da gestão do cuidado à hanseníase e os desafios para a eliminação

“…This leads to unnecessary referral to the referral service. Such finding corroborates a study conducted in Africa, reinforcing that this attitude strengthens the stigma associated to the disease, while also contradicting the WHO's incentive for the inclusion of leprosy among the primary health care services (22) .…”

“…Studies show that prejudice commonly comes from people afflicted with leprosy themselves regarding their body image, and is expressed by fear of other people's reaction, anger, shame, and non-acceptance of the disease. As social subjects, these individuals reproduce and feed the disease stigma, which in turn makes the fighting process and self and social acceptance even more difficult (11,(19)(20)(21)(22)(23) .…”

“…In this regard, it is important to consider that the path to minimizing such a problem depends both on the personal resources of people afflicted with leprosy and their families and social support, including attitudes by professionals and access to health services (11,(22)(23) .…”

Hanseníase: Sentidos E Facetas Do Convívio Para Adolescentes Com a Doença E Seus Familiares

“…It can be said that for these teens, "looking out" -"leaving home" -has become a threat to the ego and identity. The result is limited or non-existent interaction between them and society in general (ASAMPONG et al, 2018).…”

Ghana: Accelerating neglected tropical disease control in a setting of economic development

“…Ghana has been at the forefront of the development of a new WHO-approved treatment strategy for buruli ulcer based on oral antibiotic therapy [44] as well as studies on the social and mental health burden of this condition [45]. Leprosy also remains prevalent, although the numbers of cases have dramatically declined since the introduction of multidrug therapy [46]. Additional and important NTDs include scabies and snake-bite envenomation.…”