Stigma and the social burden of neglected tropical diseases.

Author introduction:

Here, I address key questions about how concepts of stigma have changed over time. Who is affected, and how? What are the relevant distinctions between stigma associated with culture-specific meaning of a disease and with the social response to signs and symptoms? Current interest in the topic aims to apply answers to such questions in disease control to reduce the social burden of NTDs. Ideally, practical health social science interest aims to transform social stigma into social support. International health experience with NTDs provides some examples, and I conclude with a review of open questions for research.