Original Research Article
Year: 2019 | Month: January-March | Volume: 4 | Issue: 1 | Pages: 144-152
Profile Stigma of Leprosy Patients in Manokwari District Provinsi Papua Barat
Owira Indow1, Arry Pongtiku2, A.L.Rantetampang3, Anwar Mallongi4
1Magister Program of Public Health, Faculty of Public Health, Cenderawasih University, Jayapura.
2,3Senior Lecturers of Master Program in Public Health. Faculty of Public Health, Cenderawasih University, Jayapura
4Environmental Health Department, Faculty of Public Health, Hasanuddin University, Makassar.
Corresponding Author: Anwar Mallongi
ABSTRACT
Background: A person who has leprosy experiences stigma from himself, family and society. Stigma for people affected by leprosy about diseases, ease of possible disease, the severity of disease, the benefits of positive behavior and the risk of negative behavior and treatment of leprosy.
Objective: To find out the stigma profile of lepers in Manookwari Regency, West Papua Province.
Research Methods: Qualitatively conducted at the Pasir Putih Community Health Center and Amban Community Health Center in November 2018 as many as 6 informants. Data obtained using in-depth interviews and analyzed qualitatively.
Results: Stigma of perceptions of informants about leprosy experienced psychopathic disorders such as crying, fear and shame. The informant's perception of leprosy risks transmitting to his family because he lives at home. The severity of leprosy is from the informant's response because it causes disability, paralysis, difficulty eating and drinking and considers leprosy as a savage disease because it can attack suddenly. The benefits of positive behavior from because they do not want to be deformed or disabled that continue or transmit this disease to other families. the risk perception of negative behavior of lepers states that it can cause disability and shame for life. Stigma towards faster treatment will be better for preventing disability. In addition, the informant acknowledged that it was too late for treatment because he did not know about leprosy. One of the reasons for the treatment expressed by the informants was because they wanted to recover quickly and did not want to get stigmatized from the family or from other people. One of the reasons informants from family stigma is fear of being avoided by the family so they feel isolated from their own family.
Keywords: Stigma, Leprosy patient, Transmission risks and Sudden attack.