Asthma patients: We are being stigmatised over COVID-19

Some asthmatic patients in Bauchi state have lamented stigmatisation by members of the public over a similarity between the symptoms of their ailment and COVID-19.

As at Saturday evening, Nigeria had recorded 1,182 confirmed cases of COVID-19, out of which 222 patients have been discharged, while 35 persons have died.

The virus symptoms include difficulty in breathing, fever, cough and runny nose, among others, while the major signs of asthma attack include difficulty in breathing, chest pain and cough, among others.

Speaking with NAN on Sunday, the asthmatic patients said the similarity between both disease symptoms has resulted in undue reactions towards them in public places.

The patients said they are often mistaken for COVID-19 suspects, adding that there is little or no room for them to explain themselves in such cases.

Hadiza Usman, an asthma patient, said it is more saddening that some people in the neighbourhood who were aware of their status as asthma patients, “display ignorance” while reacting towards them.

“The phobia for coronavirus has reached the level that even people that know you become jittery whenever you experience asthma attack,” she said.

“Sometimes even relations are not comfortable; I know of somebody whose brothers contemplated calling NCDC to help determine whether it was the normal asthma attack or Coronavirus.”

Mohammed Umar, another patient, said he had experienced stigmatisation twice while trying to withdraw money from a bank.

He said no one was willing to get close to him even after he explained his condition to them.

“We were queuing outside waiting for our turn to enter the banking hall when l had a mild attack,” he said.

“Knowing the implication, I excused myself and kept a distance but when the attack subsided and I went back to rejoin the queue, nobody was willing to stay close to me.

“One of the customers even drew the attention of the security personnel of the bank, who approached me, yet even after explaining the situation, nobody was willing to take chances.”

Umaru Galadima, another asthma patient, said he had experienced such stigmatisation but added whoever was skeptical had genuine reason to be suspicious as a result of the rising cases.

“With the coronavirus pandemic moving like bushfire, everybody must be careful,” he said.

“In any case, how do you differentiate difficulty in breathing occasioned by asthma attack and one caused by coronavirus?

“I personally had cause to move away from a person that had mild asthma attack, until I was convinced it was not a case of COVID-19.”

Narrating his experience, a 16 year-old who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the situation often gets embarrassing as his peers tended to be skeptical each time he experienced asthma attack, in spite of knowing his condition for the past five years.

“Most times, it takes the pattern of mild jokes, like some asking me ‘are you sure it’s not that thing (coronavirus)?’, and we laugh over it,” he said.

On his part, Usman Haruna, another patient, said he is no longer comfortable with the situation as he develops doubt each time he experiences an asthma attack, in spite of being with the ailment for many years.

“Frankly speaking, sometimes I become scared when I experience an attack, and I always prayed to God to let it be that it’s asthma attack and not Coronavirus in disguise,” he said.

He advised asthma patients to be vigilant and be able to distinguish mild asthma attack from symptoms of COVID-19.

In Africa, more than 28,000 cases of COVID-19 have been recorded and the death toll has risen to above 1,800.