The fight against Covid-19 misinformation and disinformation has a gloomy feel in Sierra Leone where authorities are flagging it as a “life-or-death” issue in slogans designed to warn the population.
Misinformation is false information shared by people who do not intend to mislead others.
Disinformation is false information deliberately created and disseminated with malicious intent.
“If you are not sure of the information you are sharing, do not share. If you cannot validate the authenticity of the information, do not share because when you misinform people, you could misinform a whole community.”
This is the advice of Harold Thomas, the Risk Communications Lead at the Ministry of Health and Sanitation.
He is concerned at the level of misinformation and “fake news” surrounding the COVID-19 vaccines because it hinders efforts to fight against the spread of the virus.
There was a sad story of woman who died of heart attack last year in Freetown after panicking over a fake report that her child was among pupils s killed at a school after getting a Covid-19 vaccine.
Fear of the COVID-19 pandemic has unleashed a global wave of misinformation fueling distrust in efforts by many governments to address the health crisis.
When Sierra Leone confirmed its first COVID-19 case on March 30, 2020, certain groups of individuals denied the existence of the virus and proclaimed it a hoax.
Verifying with experts
Dr Julius Spenser is expert in communication. He said that the spread of misinformation on social media and through other channels can affect COVID-19 vaccine confidence.
Misinformation often arises when there are information gaps or unsettled science, as human nature seeks to reason, better understand, and fill in the gaps.
He said that both misinformation and disinformation can affect vaccine confidence and vaccination rates. He said both focused on vaccine development, safety, and effectiveness.
He said that the first step to addressing misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines in your community is learning more about it, including where it starts and when, why, and how it is spreading and evolving.
Spoke about using trusted messengers to boost credibility and the likelihood of being seen and believed over misinformation. “Some people may not trust public health professionals or visit the health department website, so it’s more effective to reach them through the channels and sources they look to and trust for health information, such as religious leaders or community organizations,” he said.
Alusine Sesay is a journalist in Freetown. He said journalists must make it a point of duty to verify every piece of information with the Ministry of Health and Sanitation with whom they work closely, to verify information on vaccines developed to fight the pandemic.
Even before Sierra Leone received its first consignment of the COVID-19 vaccines, he said, some people had already started sowing misinformation about their side effects.
“Our responsibility to the public is to give out the right and correct information. So, we will make sure that we verify all information. We have been able to factcheck every piece of information so as not to fall into the hands of fake news vendors,” he said.
Vaccine hesitancy
Sierra Leone’s ministry of health data supports the case of vaccine hesitancy.
Only 26.2% of target population have receive Full vaccination coverage, and 17.3% of total population have received full vaccination coverage.
This story was put together with support from Journalists for Human Rights and the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) 2022 Journalism Fellowship
By Desmond Tunde Coker