* Governments fear misinformation will drive up infection
rates
* False information hampered fight against Ebola and HIV
* Tech firms prominently displaying posts from health
agencies
* Kenya police arrested two men accused of spreading
falsehoods
By Alexis Akwagyiram
ABUJA, April 2 (Reuters) - Governments across Africa are
teaming up with technology giants including Facebook and
WhatsApp to fight misinformation about coronavirus on social
media platforms that could propel the pandemic on a continent
with shaky healthcare systems.
South Africa, which has more infections than any other
African country, with more than 1,300 confirmed cases, has
launched an information service about the coronavirus on
WhatsApp.
In Nigeria, health officials are partnering with the
messaging service owned by Facebook to send push notifications
to users with advice on symptoms and how to avoid infection.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) is also
getting free ad space on Facebook for outreach about the
pandemic, a benefit available to public health authorities in 11
other African countries, and around the world.
Twitter has been tweaking its algorithm to elevate medical
information from authoritative sources - an initiative available
in 70 countries, including five in Africa.
"There has never been a more critical time than now for us
to leverage on social media in sending out the right message,"
said Chikwe Ihekweazu, who heads the NCDC.
But governments and tech firms face an uphill battle: as the
virus spreads, unfounded rumours are proliferating across
multiple platforms.
"Blacks don't get coronavirus," said one erroneous tweet
seen by Reuters, which was posted by a user in Kenya with nearly
700,000 followers.
"If you think you have it ... you must learn to unblock your
airway by boiling lemon/ginger & inhaling," advised another
bogus tweet, posted by a user in Nigeria with more than 119,000
followers.
Some governments are now resorting to punitive measures.
In Kenya, at least two men, including a popular blogger,
have been arrested for publishing false information about the
virus on Twitter, an offense punishable by up to 10 years in
prison or a fine of 5 million Kenyan shillings ($48,000).
Neither has been charged.
South Africa introduced a law in March that makes sharing
malicious falsehoods about the virus punishable by up to six
months in jail.
Public health officials worry such posts will drive up the
number of infections - currently around 6,000, according to a
Reuters tally - on a continent beset by overburdened health
facilities. Many know from painful experience how shared
misinformation can fuel a deadly epidemic.
False claims that garlic, beetroot and lemons are an
effective alternative to anti-retroviral drugs - endorsed by a
former South African health minister - contributed to hundreds
of thousands of deaths at the height of the AIDS epidemic in the
2000s, according to Harvard University researchers.
And bogus rumours that foreign aid workers were bringing
Ebola into communities hampered the response to two major
outbreaks in Africa in the past six years.
'FEAR AND IGNORANCE'
As coronavirus cases increase in Africa, similar false
rumours are surfacing again, amplified by social media.
Shoppers in Addis Ababa said prices of garlic and lemon had
tripled within days of Ethiopia confirming its first case.
"These are wanted for medicinal purposes," said ginger seller
Abebe Tene. "I am protecting myself by inserting garlic in one
side of my nose and ginger in the other."
Seemingly cheap ways to beat a pandemic that has killed more
than 46,900 people worldwide have broad appeal on a continent
where soap and clean water for hand washing are out of reach for
many.
South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa made clear his
concern when he declared a national disaster in March.
"Perhaps the greatest dangers to our country at this time
are fear and ignorance," he said. "We should stop spreading fake
and unverified news and creating further apprehension and
alarm."
The country's health department developed its WhatsApp
service with South Africa-based non-profit Praekelt.org, using
machine learning technology. Users who send the word "hi" to a
WhatsApp number can get questions answered on topics including
myths, symptoms and treatments.
The WHO noticed the service and partnered with Praekelt.org
to launch its own version on March 20. It receives about 100,000
enquiries per hour, according to the organization's founder,
Gustav Praekelt.
FACT-CHECKERS
Facebook, along with social media competitors including
Twitter and YouTube, has barred users from posting harmful
information about COVID-19 on its platforms.
The company is working with third-party fact-checkers in 15
sub-Saharan African countries to identify and remove such posts
from Facebook, said its regional spokeswoman, Kezia Anim-Addo.
WhatsApp is piloting a similar effort in Nigeria, among other
countries.
But the volume of posts on COVID-19 is too high to catch
every problematic claim, said Siphesihle Hlela, Africa strategic
director at global media intelligence company Meltwater.
Many rumours begin life on one platform, only to be copied
and shared on others.
Post are often written in pidgin English or lesser-known
African languages, so might not be picked up by software that
directs posts to fact-checkers, said Adebola Williams, founder
and chief executive of Nigerian media consultancy Red.
Messages on WhatsApp are encrypted, so will only be checked
if a user reports them.
Last year Facebook limited the number of times a WhatsApp
message can be forwarded to five, in an attempt to curb the
spread of rumours.
But misleading information still gets through.
In Lagos, artist Aderemi Adegbite shook his head at a false
rumour on WhatsApp that the government intended to spray
coronavirus-fighting chemicals from a plane.
"These messages are actually a big problem, even though they
look or sound funny," he said. "We are in a serious situation."