The "Ebola and Salt Water" saga: a need for sensitization

A salt branded "Anti-Ebola"

It is no news that Nigerians woke up today in fear of the Ebola virus. People were called by friends while some got broadcast messages on social apps to use salt and warm water to bath this morning.

URGENT! URGENT!! EBOLA...PRECAUTION.
Salaam. I recieved a very urgent call @ ard 4 am that i should prepare hot water then mixed with salt. You can allow it to be warm...that will fit well for your body and then take a bath with it. The bearer said it is to prevent ‪#‎Ebola‬.... Please do it now and share! May it not be our portion o. Amin!

A comic pic about Ebola and Salt water

I didn't believe this alert at all. I searched Google about the relationship between Ebola and salt water, I didn't get any convincing answer. I went ahead to bath with cold water and went for my lectures. What baffles me most is that most of my friends fell for the broadcast without even researching about it. It is true that the disease is deadly and scary but is the information deadly and scary too? Why won't we research about an information before sending it out.

A group chat revealing how somehow believed it

I could remember while I attended the first even Google students training in my school, we were taught about "Online Reputation". The kind of information you post on your social media is part of what constitute your online reputation. Since then, I don't just rebroadcast anything. Why will I use my name to post something I'm not sure of? There is a need for sensitization

What I got this afternoon

A lady posted a confession on Nairaland:

I Started The Saltwater Ebola Cure Rumor I Truely Am Sorry by DRealGeesam1(f): 7:51am
My confession and apology

Dear nairalanders and everyone who have heard of the ebola Prevention "News", My name is Adesewa, I am coming out clean because what started has a joke has escalated into the unprecedented.
How it started
Yesterday i was with friend in her hostel, we were talking about this Ebola out break, when one of my friends, Funke (she introduced me to nairaland) brought the idea of Us playing a prank on our friends. The first suggestion was to tell people that aloe very could cure Ebola, but we thought it would sound too ridiculous so we forgot about it.

Later that even an idea came to me (i now regret that i did it).
I decided to send a BBM broadcast message to my friends, telling them that the Ministry of Health has asked everyone to bathe with salt and warm water and drink some of it.
I sent the message 7:08pm yesterday

Later this midnight i started getting calls and messages that i should drink salt water and bath with it.

All efforts to tell people that i was the one who started the joke failed. Only my friends who i mentioned earlier believed me. Even my mum could me this morning, i did not know what to tell her.

I am using this medium to beg you all to warn and tell everyone, before they drink salt and damage their health.

Please dont be hash on me. I know this has gone out of hand. I never knew it will be this serious. Some have even added to the original message i sent.

Check it out here

A call for proper mass sensitization

When I send the broadcast above out to my friends with the link, I thought to myself: "99.99% of them will believe it without visiting the link to confirm if it's true." That was just the same way they believed the first broadcast without researching about it.

I want to use this medium to task the Federal Ministry of Information and the Federal Ministry of Health. They should in turn task and monitor all the states' Ministries of Information and Health to work hand in hand with the local governments and wards to conduct proper and mass sensitization for everyone.

The sensitization should be in two folds:

1. Full details about the Ebola Virus and its disease; how it can be prevented and what to do to contain it.
2. How information should be treated before believing and sending it our to family and friends

I believe the Nigeria community needs great sensitization about these two things. This will ensure that this kind of rumour does not spread.

Information is power; it can transform and deform. Say NO to misinformation and embrace proper information dissemination.

My name is Taslim OKUNOLA and I am a progressive Nigerian youth.