Addressing infodemic for pandemic preparedness in the digital age: A focus on Middle Africa

Authors	Marthe Bogne Penka, Andrew Tangang, Ernest Alang Wung, Mark Kelese, Patrick Okwen
Date Published	24th September, 2024
Source	https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1275702/full

Summary:
This study examines how misinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic affected public health responses in West and Central Africa, especially in Cameroon, Nigeria, and Senegal. It found that misinformation came from both online (e.g., WhatsApp, Facebook) and offline sources (e.g., religious leaders, politicians), spreading myths and conspiracy theories that led to vaccine hesitancy and reduced trust in health systems.

The authors propose seven key strategies to fight infodemics: media engagement, storytelling, local language use, stronger researcher–policymaker collaboration, partnerships with community leaders, visual communication, and fact-checking. The paper emphasizes culturally appropriate methods like storytelling and digital tools to improve pandemic preparedness and evidence-based decision-making.