Abstract
Objectives: The outbreak of COVID-19 has brought about fear and uncertainty resulting to stigmatization and discrimination towards those with COVID-19 like symptoms as well as influence the patient influx to health facilities and the health-seeking behaviour of the population. This study assessed the health-seeking behaviour, hospital attendance, and the level of stigmatization of the population towards individuals with COVID-19 like symptoms. Methods: This was a cross-sectional community and hospital-based study carried out to assess hospital attendance, perceived stigmatization and population health-seeking behaviour during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Buea Municipality. The trend in the patients' influx in the COVID-19 treatment centre and other health facilities was assessed from March to June 2020 and compared with corresponding months in 2019. The stigmatization data was collected using a modified 12-items stigma scale. The data was analyzed with SPSS version 26. Results: The hospital attendance decreased in the COVID-19 treatment centre from April to June 2020 by -38.3% and increased in non-COVID-19 treatment health facilities by over 70%. Of the 570 participants for the community survey, 322 (56.5%) reported to go for auto medication if they developed COVID-19 symptoms. Individuals with COVID-19 like symptoms experienced moderate (59.1%) to severe (33.9%) perceived stigmatization. Perceived stigmatization was significantly higher (<sup>2</sup>=14.56, p=0.001) in participants who reported not willing to go to the hospital during the pandemic. Conclusion: The hospital turnout experienced a drop in the COVID-19 treatment centre and an increase in other health facilities. There was high perceived stigmatization towards people with COVID-19 like symptoms, which probably accounted for the population refusal to seek treatment in the COVID-19 treatment center and to resort to auto medication.
Highlights
In late December 2019, several local health facilities in Wuhan, China reported clusters of patients with pneumonia
Towards Individuals with COVID-19 Like Symptoms in Buea Municipality, Cameroon discrimination, and herd behavior [4]. This has had a negative impact on the patient influx to the hospitals and brought a lot of stigma and discrimination at the community level, as well as a negative impact on the population health-seeking behaviour [5, 6]
The epidemiological data were collected in four health areas (Buea Road, Molyko, Muea and Bokwango) out of the eight health areas in the Buea Health District while the hospital attendance was collected from 9 health facilities namely; the Regional Hospital Buea (COVID-19 treatment centre), Solidarity Clinic, Saint Veronica Teaching Hospital, 7th Day Adventist Clinic, Buea Road Health Center, Bokwoango Integrated Health Center, Buea Town Health Center, Molyko Integrated Health Center And Muea Medicalized Health Center
Summary
In late December 2019, several local health facilities in Wuhan, China reported clusters of patients with pneumonia. The novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) or the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causative agent of this pneumonia has claimed many lives since the beginning of the outbreak [1, 2] It was later declared a pandemic on the 11th of March 2020 [3]. Towards Individuals with COVID-19 Like Symptoms in Buea Municipality, Cameroon discrimination, and herd behavior [4] This has had a negative impact on the patient influx to the hospitals and brought a lot of stigma and discrimination at the community level, as well as a negative impact on the population health-seeking behaviour [5, 6]. To avoid discrimination due to the stigma attached to the disease, people may be driven towards behaviors including hiding their illness and not seeking healthcare
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