Concealment of Potential Exposure to COVID-19 and Its Impact on Outbreak Control: Lessons from the HIV Response.
Teo, Alvin Kuo Jing;
Tan, Rayner Kay Jin;
Prem, Kiesha;
(2020)
Concealment of Potential Exposure to COVID-19 and Its Impact on Outbreak Control: Lessons from the HIV Response.
The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene, 103 (1).
pp. 35-37.
ISSN 0002-9637
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.20-0449
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Globally, more than 4 million people have been infected with COVID-19, and more than 300,000 deaths have been reported across 188 countries. Concealment of one's potential exposure to the virus has negative implications for the spread of COVID-19 across the socio-ecological spectrum, including the futility of contact-tracing efforts, exposure of frontline staff, and the spread of COVID-19 in the community. We draw lessons learned from HIV to discuss stigma and the attribution of blame surrounding the phenomenon of concealment of one's potential exposure to COVID-19 using a socio-ecological perspective. This article also illustrates the psychosocial aspect of the disease, and the negative repercussions of concealment of potential exposure on transmission in the community and to front-liners, healthcare resources, and outbreak containment.