Double stigma: a cross-sectional study of Lassa patients with hearing loss in North Central Nigeria.

Lassa fever is a zoonotic infectious disease endemic in West Africa with a high case-fatality rate and reported stigmatization of surviving patients. This study examines discrimination among survivors of Lassa fever (LF) complicated by hearing loss (HL). This cross-sectional qualitative study used an in-depth interview guide to collect information from patients with HL about their experience of stigma. Interviews were conducted by a trained team of interviewers at the Jos University Teaching Hospital between January and April 2022 in Hausa language after informed consent was obtained. Recordings of the interviews were transcribed and translated from Hausa to English. Data analysis was conducted using Most (73%) respondents were male ( There is a need to address stigma in LF survivors who develop HL through concerted community-owned awareness to improve their quality of life along with a robust social support system to aid prevention.

Informations de copyright

Copyright © 2024 Best, Ameh, Weldon, Shwe, Maigari, Turaki, Ma’an, Yilgwan, Makishima, Weaver, Paessler and Shehu.

Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.