One study reported that 800 people around the world died as a result of the misinformation around the coronavirus.
It is always difficult to measure the consequences of fake news on the company. For those on the Covid-19, researchers have attempted to pose figures on a reality. According to their study published Monday in the journal The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, some 5800 people across the world have been admitted to the hospital after you have read false information or rumors about the coronavirus. At least 800 would be dead, mainly because of the ingestion of disinfectants wrongly perceived to be remedies against the virus. Sixty people have also become blind after drinking methanol.
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More than 2,300 fake news analyzed
To arrive at such a result, the researchers analyzed more than 2,300 fake news, distilled in 25 languages and across 87 countries between January and April. And tried in the press, the direct consequences of this misinformation. The study sheds light on a few emblematic cases. In South Korea, a hundred of the faithful have been affected by the Covid-19, after the spraying of salt water that is contaminated within their church, believing that it would help to fight the virus. In Qatar, the two Asian in perfect health, had swallowed a disinfectant, terribly frightened after you have been in contact with positive people.
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Since the beginning of the epidemic, in the month of February, the WHO had warned about the dire consequences and the harmful effects of fake news. The organization has partnerships with Facebook or Google to identify and then moderate more effectively with these fake content and these rumors.
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“Covid-19”, the new coronavirus
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the authors of the article ask governments and health authorities to be vigilant and to regularly update their internet sites. These are very popular and are often perceived as sources of credible information by the citizens.
