@article{Abubakari_Apraku_Nyame_Agbokey_Afari-Asiedu_Gyaase_Gyan_Febir_Abokyi_Asante_2023, title={ “I don’t want to have anything to do with someone suspected of COVID-19”: a genuine infection avoidance interests or inappropriate concerns related to stigma? }, volume={14}, url={https://publichealthinafrica.org/jphia/article/view/2099}, DOI={10.4081/jphia.2023.2099}, abstractNote={<p><strong>Background: </strong>Human existence is being challenged by an outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2 that began in Wuhan, China in December 2019. Efforts to avoid the spread of COVID-19 are undermined by the appearance of disease-associated avoidance of infected persons due to reasons such as social stigma and discrimination.</p> <p><strong>Objective: </strong>This study seeks to investigate avoidance and discrimination against persons suspected of COVID-19 in a predominantly rural setting in Ghana.</p> <p><strong>Methods:</strong> The study is a cross sectional survey. A random sample of 517 individuals drawn from a health and demographic surveillance system database was used for this study. Participants resided in six contiguous districts and municipalities of predominantly rural setting in the Bono East Region of Ghana.</p> <p><strong>Results:</strong> The findings showed that majority (60%) of the respondents agreed that they won’t have anything to do with someone suspected of COVID-19. However, 67% of them were willing to accommodate persons that recovered from the infection. Majority (91%) of respondents agreed that there is a need to adopt tolerant attitude towards persons who recovered from the infection, whilst another 98% also reported the need to show compassion towards persons who recovered from COVID-19.</p> <p><strong>Conclusion:</strong> There is a high-level avoidance of persons suspected of COVID-19, but little or no discrimination of those who recovered from the infection.</p>}, number={1}, journal={Journal of Public Health in Africa}, author={Abubakari, Sulemana and Apraku, Edward and Nyame, Solomon and Agbokey, Francis and Afari-Asiedu, Samuel and Gyaase, Stephaney and Gyan, Thomas and Febir, Lawrence Gyabaa and Abokyi, Livesy and Asante, Kwaku Poku}, year={2023}, month={Feb.} }