Information Hazards and Community Misbeliefs during a Lassa Fever Outbreak: Implications for Global Health Security, Risk Communication and Lessons from Northern Nigeria
1
Microbiology, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, Bauchi, Nigeria
2
Medical Microbiology, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital, Bauchi, Bauchi, Nigeria
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION:
Information hazards and misinformation can compromise outbreak response and threaten global health security, particularly in low-resource settings and low awareness of viral heamorraghic diseases. In 2023, a Lassa fever outbreak occurred in a rural northern Nigerian village where a hunter’s family was stigmatized due to community beliefs linking the illness to witchcraft. This study aimed to explore how misinformation influenced response behaviors and to identify locally driven strategies to improve outbreak communication.
METHODS:
A qualitative inquiry using semi-structured interviews with affected families, community leaders, and health workers was conducted. Local media messaging and health records were reviewed to assess communication flow and response timing.
RESULTS:
Misinformation spread through informal networks within the community delayed care-seeking and intensified stigma, resulting in avoidable mortalities. Engaging traditional leaders and using trusted local community engagement teams and tools like radios, events successfully countered false narratives and improved case reporting.
CONCLUSIONS:
This personal experience demonstrates the critical need for integrating culturally grounded, community-based communication approaches into biosurveillance systems. Addressing information hazards locally enhances early detection, builds public trust, and strengthens resilience within the global health security framework.
Information hazards and misinformation can compromise outbreak response and threaten global health security, particularly in low-resource settings and low awareness of viral heamorraghic diseases. In 2023, a Lassa fever outbreak occurred in a rural northern Nigerian village where a hunter’s family was stigmatized due to community beliefs linking the illness to witchcraft. This study aimed to explore how misinformation influenced response behaviors and to identify locally driven strategies to improve outbreak communication.
METHODS:
A qualitative inquiry using semi-structured interviews with affected families, community leaders, and health workers was conducted. Local media messaging and health records were reviewed to assess communication flow and response timing.
RESULTS:
Misinformation spread through informal networks within the community delayed care-seeking and intensified stigma, resulting in avoidable mortalities. Engaging traditional leaders and using trusted local community engagement teams and tools like radios, events successfully countered false narratives and improved case reporting.
CONCLUSIONS:
This personal experience demonstrates the critical need for integrating culturally grounded, community-based communication approaches into biosurveillance systems. Addressing information hazards locally enhances early detection, builds public trust, and strengthens resilience within the global health security framework.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
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