COVID-19 Misinformation and Infodemic in Rural Africa
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Date
2020
Authors
Okereke, Melody
Ukor, Nelson Ashinedu
Ngaruiya, Lilian Muthoni
Mwansa, Chikwe
Alhaj, Samar Mohammed
Ogunkola, Isaac Olushola
Jaber, Hadi Mohammed
Isa, Mashkur Abdulhamid
Ekpenyong, Aniekan
Lucero-Prisno, Don Eliseo
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Abstract
The world has witnessed rapid advancement and changes since the COVID-19 pandemic emerged in
Wuhan, China. The significant changes experienced during these times remain unprecedented. The African continent has
initiated significant responses to curb the spread of the pandemic. However, there is an increasing concern that rural
Africa is facing serious challenges in their responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. This is due to the uncertainty if the
populations are detached from or in synch with information on COVID-19. The findings reported here suggest that rural
Africa is burdened with misinformation and infodemic regarding COVID-19 due to widespread misconceptions and
anecdotal reports. It is, therefore, necessary to engage with community leaders to provide awareness campaigns in rural
communities to ensure access to reliable information issued by local and international health authorities. It is pertinent to
set up avenues that improve health literacy in communities in rural Africa as it is a major determinant of information
assimilation.
Description
Research article
Keywords
Citation
Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg., 00(0), 2020, pp. 1–4 doi:10.4269/ajtmh.20-1488, © 2020 by The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene