Rising Above Misinformation or Fake News in Africa: Another Strategy to Control COVID-19 Spread

Rising Above Misinformation or Fake News in Africa: Another Strategy to Control COVID-19 Spread

Misinformation related to the COVID-19 pandemic is gradually gaining much popularity and amplifying the threat facing humanity about the continuous spread of the virus regardless of one's location. Although some of the influx of these falsehoods may be harmless, others might pose a serious thre...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Frontiers in communication Vol. 5
Main Authors: Ahinkorah, Bright Opoku, Ameyaw, Edward Kwabena, Hagan, John Elvis, Seidu, Abdul-Aziz, Schack, Thomas
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A 17-06-2020
Subjects:
Africa
COVID-19
fake news
mass media
misinformation
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Misinformation related to the COVID-19 pandemic is gradually gaining much popularity and amplifying the threat facing humanity about the continuous spread of the virus regardless of one's location. Although some of the influx of these falsehoods may be harmless, others might pose a serious threat by misleading the general population to depend on unjustified and/unsubstantiated claims for protection and show preference for them against scientifically proven guidelines. This paper provides a clear understanding on some COVID-19 misinformation, the inherent implications this poses to public health in Africa and highlights the potential strategies to curb this trend.
ISSN:2297-900X
2297-900X
DOI:10.3389/fcomm.2020.00045