Kenya: A pandemic meets an infodemic

Dr. Moses Masika is a leading virologist in Kenya. He describes the situation in the East African nation with regard to the coronavirus and underscores the value of factual information for public health and mitigation measures.

by Anne Samba, DW editor

© picture alliance/AP Photo/B. Inganga

As the novel coronavirus began to spread, and the number of infections began to rise—so did the amount of information on the virus. Across the globe, there were—and still are—mixed opinions about the perceived risk of COVID-19. Kenya is no different. “As the days go by and more cases are reported, the fear has reduced and many people are now pushing the government to ease the containment measures despite the increasing number of cases,” says Dr. Masika. He attributes this to the low case fatality rate and the gradual increase in the number of infected persons.

As the economic effects of the restrictions begin to bite, many people are flouting the rules. Enforcement has also been lackluster. The top leadership in the country has been holding face-to-face meetings in clear contravention of its own regulations. “The president previously held a conference of hundreds of politicians in the capital which is the epicenter of the outbreak,” Dr. Masika shares. As a result, others have taken cue and continue to hold meetings. However, recently, the president has led enforcement of regulations and crack-downs on public gatherings.

Thirst for information

The COVID-19 outbreak has been complicated by a deluge of mis- and disinformation. For example, at the beginning of the pandemic, there was a myth that young black Africans could not contract the virus. Currently, false information on the “danger” of wearing face masks is also circulating on social media. “In the initial days, the government was not very keen on releasing information frequently though the public was thirsty for information. This thirst was quenched by social media with information that was many times incorrect. In response the government threatened to jail anyone spreading false information on any platform. This approach did not work too well. Shortly after that, the government changed tact and started giving daily briefings on the COVID-19 situation in the country and key developments across the globe,” Dr. Masika explains.

According to the virologist, false information has many negative consequences on public health. “It spreads fear or hypes the risk associated with COVID-19, which could push people to take the wrong action as they try to protect themselves, placing themselves at greater risk of infection.” He recounts the attacks and stigma against people of Asian descent at the beginning of the pandemic, and the mistreatment of black people in China for fear of spreading the virus. “It stirs hate and discrimination,” he says.

The pandemic has also posed new challenges to the virologist who is also a research scientist and a tutorial fellow at the University of Nairobi. “As I try to disseminate information on COVID-19, I have to keep up with a barrage of information from scientific journals, and the mainstream and social media. This can take a lot of time which competes with my regular duties.”

Keep it short and simple

However, having the information is not enough. “The next challenge is to find the right, simple and clear words to use in passing this message to the public to ensure that most can understand what you are putting across. This can be a challenge to many scientists who have not been in the health communication space.”

Dr. Moses Masika

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