Battling the COVID-19 “Infodemic” in Africa
By Nicole Pribut, PhD. Dr. Pribut received her PhD in medicinal chemistry from Stellenbosch University in South Africa. She currently works as a post-doctoral researcher in the lab of Dr. Dennis Liotta at Emory University in Atlanta, GA, USA.
Over the past several months the African continent, through various social media and messaging platforms, has been inundated with information (some credible and some not) about the COVID-19 pandemic[1, 2]. This “infodemic”, a phrase coined by the WHO, often dampens official public health advice and, in turn, undermines efforts to quell the spread of the disease.[2] For example, the spread of misinformation can serve to intensify stigmatization and xenophobia on the continent, thereby discouraging infected individuals from disclosing their symptoms and to seek healthcare. In addition, misinformation can encourage risky behaviors, such as disregarding safe social practices (social distancing and wearing a mask) or the promotion of unproven remedies to cure or prevent contracting the virus.[3]
Madagascar’s president, Andry Rajoelina has been using his political platform to flaunt an herbal tea developed by the Malagasy Institute of Applied Research (IMRA) as not only a prophylactic treatment but a cure for COVID-19. Despite the WHO’s warning that no medicines have been shown to cure or prevent COVID-19 and the lack of any real evidence of efficacy (COVID-19 cases continue to spike in Madagascar), this tea, known as COVID-Organics (CVO), has become a hit on the African continent with countries such as Tanzania, Equatorial Guinea, Central African Republic and the Republic of Congo, among others, having already received thousands of doses of the brew.
Figure 1. Sweet wormwood (Artemisin annua) and chemical structure of an artemisinin. Images made publicly available by Wikimedia.
Though the specifics of its composition are unknown, CVO tea is comprised largely of wormwood (Artemisia annua), a plant that gave rise to the antimalarial drug artemisinin. Artemisinins have shown some in vitro potential against SARS-CoV-2 [4]. However, there are no clinical trial data available regarding the effects of artemisinins against COVID-19. Moreover, the scientific community has raised concerns that the widespread use Artemisia-based therapies such as CVO may result in the onset of artemisinin resistance, a serious problem on a continent plagued by malaria. Despite requests made by the African Union that the Malagasy government produce the scientific evidence describing the efficacy and safety of the CVO brew, no results of any clinical trials have yet been made public.
Alarmingly, the consumption of alcohol, particularly in the form of hand-sanitizer, has also been touted as a potential cure for COVID-19. One of the sources of this claim was originally intended as a satirical response to the liquor bans in South Africa, with South African comedian Thandokwakhe Mseleku jokingly stating in a video that “sanitizer has got 70% alcohol, so if you are drinking alcohol, it is like you are sanitizing your inside.” Unfortunately, while this video and other falsified sources are meant as pranks, there remains the risk that, following pervasive circulation, a percentage of the population may interpret these sources as fact. The excessive consumption of alcohol and the consumption of alcohol-based hand sanitizer is extremely dangerous and potentially fatal. Consumption will NOT cure COVID-19 and, indeed, heavy alcohol consumption has been associated with worse pulmonary disease outcomes [5].
Figure 2. Consumption of alcohol or alcohol-based hand sanitizers will not cure COVID-19 and can be harmful. Images available from Pixabay.
Misinformation concerning the wearing of face masks has also been widely circulated. A seemingly popular conspiracy alleges that the wearing of a face mask for prolonged periods of time can be detrimental to one’s health. The “danger” purportedly is hypercapnia, or carbon dioxide poisoning, which can result in a number of adverse effects including: an altered mental state, the loss of consciousness, cardiac arrythmia, respiratory difficulties and possible fatality. The US CDC’s recommendation around face masks is based on an array of scientific evidence (listed on the US CDC website) that wearing a mask can help prevent the spread of COVID-19 through respiratory droplets. While the wearing of masks can be irritating, no evidence exists to support claims that wearing a mask for any length of time can lead to carbon dioxide poisoning. The public should continue to wear masks according to CDC & WHO guidelines in order to slow the spread of COVID-19.
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Figure 3. Example of a West African griot (troubadour). Griots in Chad are working to spread the word about COVID-19 in remote villages. Image made available through Wikipedia.
These examples cover only a small fraction of the misinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic that is being spread, not only on the African continent, but around the globe. However, there are an increasing number of initiatives being run by local governments, communities, health organizations and social media companies to publically identify and debunk these false claims. For example, Media Monitoring Africa (MMA), a media “watchdog” born out of South Africa, has launched a website for the general public to report false and harmful information about COVID-19 which is then reviewed and addressed by the Digital Complaints Committee (DCC). In Chad, traditional troubadours called “griots” travel to remote rural villages, with limited access to radio or the internet, to spread reliable information about the pandemic. Other initiatives to combat the COVID-19 ‘infodemic’ and that allow for the public to fact-check and debunk popular COVID-19 misinformation include online, searchable libraries by the WHO, United Nations, BBC News Africa and a non-profit organization Africa Check.
Dr. Pribut has no financial involvement or interest in the Bio Africa Marketplace or products mentioned therein or elsewhere within the BioAfrica Innovation Hub websites. Her role in the Scientific Resource Hub does not constitute endorsement or recommendation of specific products or suppliers mentioned within the Bio Africa Innovation Hub websites.
References
Publicly available websites and news articles are linked in the text. Full references for peer-reviewed articles or other sites not publicly accessible are available below.
1. Schellack, N., et al., COVID-19: Guidelines for pharmacists in South Africa. 2020, 2020. 35(1).
2. Ahinkorah, B.O., et al., Rising Above Misinformation or Fake News in Africa: Another Strategy to Control COVID-19 Spread. 2020. 5(45).
3. Mian, A. and S. Khan, Coronavirus: the spread of misinformation. BMC Medicine, 2020. 18(1): p. 89.
4. Cao, R., et al., Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Potential of Artemisinins In Vitro. ACS Infect Dis, 2020.
5. Simou, E., J. Leonardi-Bee, and J. Britton, The Effect of Alcohol Consumption on the Risk of ARDS: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Chest, 2018. 154(1): p. 58-68.