We have all experienced a viral infection at some point in our lives, and the social impact of such infections has been widely observed during the recent COVID-19 pandemic. In this article, we will explore the social implications of viral infections, focusing on the recent COVID-19 pandemic and the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) as examples. Through these case studies, we will examine how viral infections can affect social structures, relationships, and public health systems.

Introduction

How do viruses make you ill?

Viruses are known as obligate intracellular parasites, meaning they cannot reproduce without a host (human, animal or bacteria), making them largely inactive outside the host. Viral infections begin with the virus attaching itself to the surface of host cells, entering the cell and replicating itself. As the number of viral copies inside the cell increases, the cell eventually becomes too full and bursts open, releasing the viruses to attach to more cells and repeat the process. The damage to the host cells caused in this process leads to disease.¹ A way of understanding this is if you think about blowing up a balloon, where there is only a certain amount of air it can contain before it bursts and causes the balloon to tear.

History of viral infections

Viruses have been around for a long time and have been the cause of many disease outbreaks in humans. Some key examples of outbreaks from the last 20 years include the Zika virus, chikungunya virus, ebolavirus, Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), and of course SARS-CoV-2, the virus that caused the COVID-19 pandemic.¹

Another example of a pandemic caused by a respiratory viral infection is the influenza pandemic from 1918 caused by the virus H1N1. It infected around one third of the global population at that time, killing 2% of the world’s population.²

Viral infections such as these result in increased social inequalities and disparities between the rich and the poor.²

Social implications of SARS-CoV-2

SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the recent COVID-19 pandemic, had a profound impact on societies worldwide. The lockdowns and restrictions that were put in place to control the virus caused widespread social disruptions. Let’s look at some of its social impacts.

Online shopping

The closure of many “non-essential” shops during the pandemic resulted in an increased number of people shopping for items like clothing and food online. Many families had food delivered to them to avoid having to go outside, to prevent infection. Others did this to adhere to self-isolation rules and prevent passing the infection to others.

School closures

Schools and university campuses closed and face-to-face sessions were replaced with online sessions. This resulted in less time spent learning, a decline in motivation to study and less interaction between pupils. Schools and universities are key in improving social skills in individuals therefore closures led to decline of social skills in students.³ 

The setup of online learning also brought out some inequalities. For example, some students may have access to working full-screen laptops whilst others may have no choice but to join the sessions on their phones with much smaller screens.  

Access to healthy food was also an issue, particularly for students who relied on free meal programs.³ For many, these meals were the only nutritious meal they received each day. With schools closed, this critical access to healthy food was disrupted, leaving some children at risk of food insecurity. This highlighted a larger problem, as families already struggling with financial instability faced additional challenges in providing balanced meals during lockdowns.

A loss of jobs and working from home 

Like schools, many workplaces shifted to online, remote working and many people ended up losing jobs because of companies closing permanently.³

Unemployment rates rose significantly during the pandemic and finding new jobs became significantly more challenging. Internships and work placement opportunities for students looking to gain some experience also decreased.³

The consequences of a loss of jobs and working from home included financial issues, social anxiety, panic and stress.³

Travel 

During the lockdowns, travel restrictions were in place, meaning that people were unable to leave the country for work or on holidays. 

People would also limit using public transport like buses out of fear of becoming infected by someone on the bus. This resulted in more traffic, as an increasing number of people would use personal vehicles instead.³

Divorce rates

During the pandemic, the number of divorce cases rose significantly. This was likely due to increasing arguments and stress during lockdowns. 

Additionally, fewer people were getting married since they could not meet people.³

Domestic violence

There was an increase in cases of domestic violence as people were confined to their homes with no workplace or school as a means of escape.³

Release of prisoners

Prisons did not have the facilities to allow solitary confinement for all those infected with COVID-19 which led to breakouts of disease in prison. To combat this, some prisoners that were considered low risk were let out of prison temporarily which caused anxiety in the community.³

Social implications of HIV

HIV causes the immune system to become weakened, limiting the ability of the body to fight other types of diseases and AIDS, the later stage of this infection. Unlike SARS-CoV-2, HIV is not a respiratory infection so it is not passed through the air or through saliva. It is mostly transmitted sexually or with infected needles. HIV is often associated with stigma as it which impacts not only the infected individuals but their families as well.⁴

Discrimination, isolation and exclusion

People diagnosed with HIV often face discrimination mainly due to a lack of understanding about how it is spread. Discrimination from healthcare professionals is particularly an issue in low-income countries which discourages individuals from getting diagnosed or treated. Even friends and relatives may distance themselves from HIV-positive individuals out of fear that they may get infected from standing close to them and touching them.This fear is unfounded, as HIV cannot be spread through activities like cooking or sharing food, yet these misconceptions lead to the exclusion of HIV-positive individuals from daily family life.  

Furthermore, the community believing that HIV can only be transmitted sexually may make assumptions about someone even if they had not gotten it from having unprotected sex or using drugs.⁴ 

Self-isolation

The infected person themselves might be led to believe they can never be cured and must isolate themselves to prevent passing it on to others. A feeling of shame may also result in them hiding their diagnosis and interacting less with others. They may feel depressed and not want to take their medicines as they feel they cannot have the same opportunities and lifestyle as they did before getting infected.⁴ 

FAQs

What is the world's deadliest infectious disease?

The world’s deadliest disease is reported to be tuberculosis (TB), killing approximately 1.6 million people each year. 

What are the most common viral infections?

Some of the most common viral infections include:

• Influenza
• Herpes
• Chickenpox
• Human papillomavirus (HPV)
• Measles
• Mumps
• Rubella

What is the rarest virus someone could get?

One of the rarest viruses includes the Marburg virus. Although rare, it is a severe hemorrhagic fever that causes severe illness and death. Diagnosis of this virus may be difficult as symptoms like fever, rash and severe bleeding may be similar to other tropical diseases. 

Summary

Viruses may be microscopic, but the social implications of viral infections are huge. From changing shopping habits globally to damaging relationships that were once positive, there are a lot of negatives that come with viral infections. Unfortunately, viral infections are unlikely to disappear any time soon, if ever, so it is important that as a community we recognise the impact that viruses have on us socially and work together to support one another in limiting these impacts and making it easier to live with.