By Cesar Chelala
July 31, 2020 "Information
Clearing House" - Public health
messages addressed to the general population should be
clear and unambiguous. This is particularly important in
times of a pandemic like that caused by the coronavirus.
Millions of lives are at stake. One of the messages,
“social distancing,” widely used by public health
authorities during the present pandemic, exemplifies
this shortcoming. It should be replaced by “physical
distancing.”
“Language that is unclear –or worse, that conveys
inadvertent and counterproductive meanings—undermines
public health discourse. This is as true in public
health as anywhere; successful behavior-change efforts,
like those crucial to defeating covid-19, depend in part
on accurate, compelling language,” wrote Joanne
Silberner and Howard Frumkin in The British Medical
Journal.
The imposed isolation has affected people of all
ages. One of the most serious effects of the coronavirus
pandemic has been on people’s mental health. Children
have increased sadness and depression. They also have
difficulties with concentration and attention and avoid
activities and games that they enjoyed in the past,
particularly when they are unable to join their friends.
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Many people have experienced symptoms of anxiety,
fear, and depression that have even led some to hurt
themselves and others. In many countries, there has been
an increase in incidents of domestic violence. The
seriousness of the situation is aggravated when people
are unable to work or to find paying jobs of any kind.
For many low-income adults, the threat of eviction and
homelessness is a heavy burden.
Elderly people are more prone to get sick with the
coronavirus both as a result of having a weaker immune
system and underlying health conditions. Because elderly
people often depend on younger family members for their
daily needs, isolation measures can critically damage a
family support system. Those elderly with physical or
mental disabilities need increased attention and care.
In these situations, asking people to do “social
distancing” is an ambiguous message that can be
misinterpreted. What is needed is more intense social
connection, albeit done by telephone or through social
media. In this regard, the government through its public
health authorities should provide specific
recommendations for more effective social connectivity.
Increasingly, public health experts are calling for
people to do “interpersonal physical distancing” or, in
brief, “physical distancing” to avoid becoming infected
by the virus.
Public health experts are alerting that measures such
as testing and contact tracing are losing effectiveness
given the speed of transmission of the pandemic. It is
now particularly necessary to change the words “social
distancing” for “physical distancing” and insist on the
importance of increasing social connection among people
to alleviate the mental health effects of the pandemic,
and prevent the transmission of the infection.
Being human means staying connected. I am reminded of
the words of John Berryman in his poem Homage to
Mistress Bradstreet,
“We are on each other’s hands
who care”
Dr. César Chelala is an international public health
consultant.
The
views expressed in this article are solely those
of the author and do not necessarily reflect the
opinions of Information Clearing House.
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The
views expressed in this article are solely those
of the author and do not necessarily reflect the
opinions of Information Clearing House.