Covid-19 misinformation the other, new ‘pandemic’

In the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, rumours quickly spread about the disease, where it came from and how one is infected. I at first believed the misconceptions would die out since scientists and public health officials would provide better, accurate information. But it turned out there was another pandemic, misinformation, which went viral in the informal settlements.

To stop the coronavirus, it turned out, we would need to fight the ‘infodemic’ too. Overseeing an NGO that works to improve public health and economic prosperity in informal settlements in Kenya, I gained some insights over this time into how we can better fight future misinformation, whether it’s about a new disease or other public health threat.

The first key is trust, which you sometimes don’t know you need until it’s too late. In times of crisis, people turn to who they trust for information, guidance and support, so it is key to have trusted local partners when coordinating an effective response.

But even trusted organisations cannot reach all community members. Thus, the most effective way to fight misinformation and build trust is through strong interpersonal relationships, like those created by community health volunteers (CHVs).

Informal settlements

CHVs immediately became a key part of Covid-19 response in informal settlements. In the early days of the pandemic, they encouraged community members to adhere to public health guidelines like social distancing, handwashing and masking. When vaccines became available, they were often the ones who combated harmful myths and connected community members with local, trusted service providers. Some even accompanied community members to their appointments.

Prevention efforts are the unsung hero of global public health. If enacted well, they prevent the spread of disease and save lives; but few people notice it. When you fail to enact them or limit resources for them, the consequences are enormous. Before countries established robust monitoring and prevention efforts such as testing, contact tracing, and wastewater surveillance, Covid-19 spread rapidly. Responses worldwide were hindered by a lack of data, and this was especially true in informal settlements. Once we began investing in and adopting prevention efforts, we saw cases begin to drop.

Accepted and adopted

But prevention efforts are only useful if accepted and adopted by communities. During Covid-19, we had to move beyond simply collecting data and ensure that findings and recommendations were not dismissed due to misinformation. To do that, staffers and CHVs needed the best information at their fingertips and be prepared to translate it to action.

My biggest takeaway from fighting the infodemic was reaffirming that partnerships are key to progress. To fight misinformation during the next public health crisis, everybody—from local community health volunteer to the national government representative and the scientist a half a world away—have to work together. This is because a problem for one of us can quickly become a problem for all of us.

Mr Omala is the executive director of CFK Africa. [email protected].