Introduction
Information about diseases today is not spared by the pandemic of misinformation and conspiracy theories. Thousands of lessons were learned after COVID-19 due to misinformation and disinformation about the pandemic. The misinformation about the disease being a hoax and other conspiracy theories made many people lose their lives during the period.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has on August 17, 2024, “declared a public health emergency of international concern, its highest alert level, for mpox (the disease formerly known as monkeypox), a virulent and deadly strain of which is spreading from West Africa.” This marks a new phase of sharing new information regarding the disease.
The Mpox (Monkeypox)
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “the monkeypox virus is an orthopoxvirus that causes mpox (monkeypox), a disease with symptoms similar to smallpox, although less severe. While smallpox was eradicated in 1980, mpox continues to occur in countries of central and west Africa. Since May 2022, cases have also been reported from countries without previously documented mpox transmission outside the African region.”
Mpox spreads through close contact with someone who’s infected. You can also get it from an infected animal. It can be transmitted through contact with bodily fluids, lesions on the skin or on internal mucosal surfaces, such as in the mouth or throat, respiratory droplets, and contaminated objects. The disease is commonly detected with uncommon rashes that harbor fluids or crusts.
New media has transformed information dissemination and consumption
We cannot discuss how health information dissemination and consumption have been transformed by the new media. With social media, information spreads faster to reach more audiences. The world has literally shrunk to a global room, making it easy for people to access and share information easily.
Kent State University College of Communication and Information explains that “Social media has considerably aggravated (dis/mis-)information. Studies have shown false information spreads more quickly and broadly than true information on the internet and that false information is virtually impossible to retract and stays in people’s minds, whether it is retracted or not.”
More so, it highlights that “Prior to the internet and social media, information, misinformation and disinformation ran through clearance circles or reliability checks (e.g., newspapers and news broadcasts checking their sources, especially for their reliability and trustworthiness).”
With the rise of citizen journalists, disinformation, misinformation and fake news platforms, unscrupulous elements leverage the platforms to share wrong information about health issues. People who follow these platforms end up falling victim to using the wrong first aid and medications. Genuine health information can only be found on official sites and handles of established health organizations and government agencies.
Conclusion
At this desperate time, information providers like journalists communicating new developments about the Mpox must be very careful of untrue facts. This is because sharing untrue information about the disease can aid it to spread faster. It will not flatten the curve. There should be dedicated efforts to inform public about how to protect themselves from contracting the disease in simple and comprehensible terms.
References
https://www.kent.edu/cci/news/misinformation-world-today
https://www.lemonde.fr/en/les-decodeurs/article/2024/08/21/disinformation-mpox-epidemic-reawakens-covid-era-conspiracy-theories_6719149_8.html
https://www.who.int/health-topics/monkeypox#tab=tab_1
Nusaiba Ibrahim Na’abba is the Content Writer in Skyline University Nigeria. She has a degree in Mass Communication and a Masters in Communication Studies from Bayero University Kano (BUK).