Ms Eliza Cheung, clinical psychologist of the Hong Kong Red Cross is conducting training to the psychologists in Liberia.

In 2014, the Ebola crisis broke out in Liberia. Discrimination towards persons infected with, or affected by, in the community had been found a serious issue that brought far-reaching humanitarian consequences and made the infection control even more difficult. Eliza Cheung, clinical psychologist of the Hong Kong Red Cross observed various desperate situations when she provided psychological support in that country.

Due to fear of being discriminated, some suspected patients abstained from medical care or concealed the epidemic, making it difficult to track down confirmed cases – only 2 close contacts could be tracked in the community while at least 6 could be tracked in other infected areas. Thus, the number of infected cases could not be correctly estimated, worsening the ground for infection control.

For those who were diagnosed, some were expulsed by their families and deprived of their chance of treatment and recovery. This also increased the risk of spreading the disease when the patient lived or even died in the street. People distrusted each other in the community. A woman in labor was left unhelped because people worried about being infected by blood transmission.

Though the situation today in Hong Kong is not alike in Liberia, it is still a meaningful lesson to us: there is only a hair-thin line between “epidemic prevention” and “discrimination”. While the former is necessary action to prevent you from being infected, the later cannot. Meanwhile, “discrimination” brings additional sufferings to affected people, causing humanitarian consequences, and even worsens the infection control.  

Comparing to distrust and indifference, mutual help in the community is always a much more effective approach to prevent epidemic. Since the outbreak of Novel Coronavirus, there are many beautiful scenes in the city - some pharmacies sold masks with discounts or even for free; people donated and shared their own protective equipment with others; unofficial, voluntary visits to the elderly and grassroots. Let’s all remember that, epidemic can be effectively prevented only when we walk together.