Coronavirus: Fake news wey don spread about Covid-19 for Africa
As di case of coronavirus continue to increase all ova di world, na so plenty confusing and fake news too dey show face.
Currently 33 of 47 sub-Saharan African kontris get testing facilities, up from only two for January Although confam case of di virus neva plenty for Africa, authorities for some kontris still dey struggle wit wrong informate. 1. No, you no need shave your bear-bear to protect yoursef against di virus Pipo dey read wrong meaning to one old pishure wey US health authorities do about bear-bear and respirators, dem begin reason say di foto say make men shave dia bear-bear so dem no go catch coronavirus. Nigeria Punch newspaper headline say: "To dey safe from coronavirus, shave your bear-bear, CDC warn." We don add labels to di screenshoot to show weda di tori na lie or dem use old foto. Di US Centre for Disease Control (CDC) foto show plenty examples of bear-bear and which ones to avoid wen you wear gas mask. Dem approve bear-bear style like Side Whiskers and Zappa but styles like Garibaldi and French Fork fit no work well wit di gas mask and e fit no make am work well. Di foto dey authentic - but na for 2017 dem create am (long before coronavirus outbreak) for workers wey like to wear tight gas mask. Unlike wetin di news report, dis na old tori and e no say make pipo shave dia bear-bear. Similar headlines don appear for oda kontris wey many pipo don share. One Australia media 7News post for twitter: "How your beard fit increase your risk of Coronavirus." Current UK health advice tok say while masks dey useful for medical staff for hospitals, "little evidence na im dey if e get benefit for members of di public". 2. Nigerian preacher dey fight coronavirus One evangelical preacher wey dey claim say im fit cure di virus, na anoda subject of disinformation. Tori about David Kingleo Elijah, from di Glorious Mount of Possibility Church begin dey spread online after one video show for Youtube wia e tok say im dey go China to "destroy" di virus and dem share am for oda platforms. Few days later, reports show for different blogs dey allege say di pastor don travel go China and dem don admit am for hospital afta e contact di virus. Di blogs bin use anoda name for di pastor - Elija Emeka Chibuike. Di foto wey dey use show di man for di hospital, na di foto of Adeshina Adesanya, one popular Nigerian actor wey pipo know as Pastor Ajidara, wey die inside hospital for 2017. 3. False posts about one taxi driver Di tori about di Nigerian driver wey dem diagnose for coronavirus come post for social media, see many Whatsapp users share am - but di tori na lie. According to di message, the taxi driver bin drive di "white man" wey dem diagnose wit coronavirus go one isolation centre location. Di Ogun state government come tell di driver say make e go hospital. Di tori be say d driver test positive for coronavirus - im escape from hospital come dey spit fire say im go spread di virus unless dey pay im family 100m naira ($274,000). Authorities don deny dis report. Di Ogun State government inside statement tok say no patient escape from di isolation centre. Di original post appear for di fake account of one private station Africa Independent Television (AIT) network, and dem release statement say di page no be dia official Facebook page. Di post include di foto of di driver and dem name am Adewale Isaac Olorogun. However, di same foto bin appear for one Buzzfeed article about Libya wit anoda different name - Jude Ikuenobe. Mr Ikuenobe wey follow BBC Yemisi Adegoke tok say di mata shock am wen im hear say im name dey trend for one post. E tok say di mata tire am as some of di comments contain violent threats against am. And since di post go viral, im no dey find am easy to cope. Nigeria and sub-Saharan Africa first confam Coronavirus case na one Italian man wey fly enta Lagos on 25 February. Authorities say dem don reach out to like 100 pipo wey fit don come in contact with di man. 4. Kenya training session audio causes alarm For Kenya, di goment don put out statement say one audio recording wey dey circulate for Watsapp wey claim say na official press briefing on di virus outbreak na "fake news". Di recording say 63 pipo for di kontri don catch di virus, wey no be true. Kenya no get any confam case of coronavirus. Di health ministry say na part of communications training exercise but dem no explain how e take leak to di public. For Kenya law dey say any Kenyan wey publish or share fake news about outbreak of di virus go get fine of $50,000 (£39,000) or get two-year jail sentence. 5. Cure For Nigeria, one preacher post one video and one pesin wey post am claim say pepper soup dey cure coronavirus. Di claim also dey WhatsApp. No cure or any treatment don dey for coronavirus. For Cape Verde, di tiny Portuguese-speaking West African nation, one post bin spread for social media claim say one Brazilian doctor don recommend fennel tea as cure for coronavirus. Dis tori make pipo rush go buy di herb for local market, according to AFP report. Di Brazilian health ministry don sama warning give pipo make dem no share any article give pipo wey dey suggest fennel as cure for coronavirus. Di World Health Organization say thorough and regular hand-washing dey very important for di fight to avoid infection.