Combating stigma in infectious diseases: A scoping review of de-stigmatization campaigns

COVID-19 has put a spotlight on stigma and the effects it has on infectious diseases. The world has seen and recorded the stigmatization of people that were associated with a race or specific population. However, this notion of stigma and infectious diseases is not a new phenomenon. It has existed through most of human history as this scoping review will show through the examination of three infectious diseases: Tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, and SARS. Previous research will show that many researchers have focused on a specific issue involving stigma in each of these infectious diseases. This scoping review will allow for a collection of information and research while consolidating the findings to help with understanding the forms of stigma that affect people with the diseases and the initiatives that have been taken to de-stigmatize them. The data in this scoping review was collected was through a title search using key terms, and once journal articles and grey literature was found, a snowball method was used by going through the bibliography and the text itself to find other articles that would be beneficial to the research. The results that the research produced was in the form of six observations that could be used for other infectious diseases and pandemics. The findings also showed a need for better education and support towards those that have been stigmatized in order to address the issue at the root of the problem. Effective de-stigmatization was found to be a result of both public education using factual information and community support/outreach to stigmatized communities through dialogue. Such findings may point other researchers and public health officials to further investigate these methods of de- stigmatization. Finally, addressing stigma in infectious diseases may help improve treatment rates, which can lower infect rates and death rates.