ナイジェリアで8月上旬のエボラデマにより2名死亡・20名以上が入院

既に終息したと思われるナイジェリアのエボラの累積感染者数は20名（うち8名死亡）。しかし、2014年8月上旬に、ソーシャルネットワークを駆け抜けたエボラ治療法デマにより、ナイジェリアの新聞Vanguardの報道によれば、2名が死亡し、20名が入院した。

At least two persons have been feared dead with 20 others hospitalised in various hospitals in Plateau State after consuming excessive quantity of salt and bitter kola to prevent Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) attack following a viral message on social media that it could prevent the spread of the Ebola virus. -

[Ebola: Two dead, 20 others hospitalised over excessive salt consumption (2014/08/08) on Vanguard.Nigeria]

その経緯は...

The hoax started with a text message sent by a Nigerian student at the beginning of August, according to Edwin Ikhuoria, a development consultant for U2 frontman Bono’s ONE campaign who lives in Nigeria.

"Once the word was out, it spread like wildfire," Ikhuoria told ABC News.

Within hours of the first text being sent, Ikhuoria said that everyone he knows had received the message multiple times on social media -- including the Minister of Health.
...
"Please ensure that you and your family and all your neighbours bath with hot water and salt before daybreak today because of Ebola virus which is spreading through the air," the text said in part, according to Ikhuoria.

The message also urged people to drink as much salt water as possible as protection against catching the deadly virus, which has killed nearly half of the more than 6,000 infected throughout West Africa.

U2 frontman BonoのONE campaignの開発コンサルタントであるナイジェリア在住のEdwin Ikhuoriaによれば、デマはナイジェリアの学生の8月初のテキストメッセージから始まった。「オンラインにつぶやかれるや、燎原之火のごとく広まった。数時間以内に、ソーシャルメディアから複数回、同じメッセージを受け取っており、厚生省も気づいた」

Ikhuoriaによれば、デマは「エボラは空気感染するので、今朝の夜明けまで、塩水の熱い風呂に入るように。エボラ感染予防のために、飲めるだけ塩水を飲むように」とあった。

[LIZ NEPORENT: "Nigerian Ebola Hoax Results in Two Deaths" (2014/09/30) on ABCnews]

これに対して、ナイジェリア厚生省は直ちに対抗措置をとった。

Ikhuria said as soon as the government got wind of the hoax, it immediately began its own campaign using both traditional and social media to reiterate the fact that there is no vaccine or cure for the virus.

"Other people also amplified the message from the ministry and it was all over," he said.

By Aug. 10, there were almost no tweets mentioning the bogus treatment, Symplur data revealed.

Ikhuriaによれば、政府がこのデマを知るや、ただちに通常メディア及びソーシャルメディアを使って、エボラのワクチンも治療法もないという事実で対抗するキャンペーンを実施した。「ほかの人々も厚生省のメッセージを拡散し、事態は終結した」

Symplurのデータによれば、2014年8月10日までに事態は収束した。

[LIZ NEPORENT: "Nigerian Ebola Hoax Results in Two Deaths" (2014/09/30) on ABCnews]

Google trendsは急速なデマ鎮圧を示している。