Effects of misinformation on COVID-19 prevention and control in Nigeria

Abstract

Objectives: To evaluate the impact of misinformation on COVID-19 prevention and control in Nigeria. Methods: This review adopted a documentary research method involving personal and official documents sourced from Google, PubMed, and Google Scholar databases from February 2020 to October 2020. Related information was extracted from newspapers, social media, journal articles and grey literatures. The searched areas were: COVID-19 outbreak in Nigeria, spread of misinformation on COVID-19 cases in Nigeria, updates of COVID-19 cases in Nigeria, and the effect of health misinformation on COVID-19 prevention and control. Results: Data from 31 reviewed literature shows that Social media poses a threat to public health by facilitating the widespread misinformation, especially during health crises. Social media platform (WhatsApp) was highly used in the spread of misinformation across the globe, thereby resulting in fear or tension which often kills faster than the disease itself. These experiences show that Nigeria is not just fighting against COVID-19, but also facing the battle of misinformation which can also be deadly. Conclusion: Misinformation is increasingly more sophisticated than ever and its potentials spread wider and faster in social media era resulting in fear or tension. Improved e-health literacy and dissemination of increased corrective information are highly recommended. Keywords: control; COVID-19; corona virus; misinformation; prevention.