The Ebola outbreak in West Africa is sadly raging on with 3,400 casualties, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). But even worse than the spread of the virus itself is the spread of rumors and superstitions about Ebola, which is making it difficult to discern fiction from fact.
Sensational headlines on social media scream misinformation that the virus spreads through undercooked meat, or is contracted from sitting next to a sneezy passenger on a plane. Some lies even suppose Ebola victims rise from the dead like zombies.
Lack of information, and even worse, misinformation, is actually more dangerous than the Ebola virus itself. The distortion of facts about a contagious disease can lead to violence, mistrust and fear.
The first confirmed case of a U.S. citizen being diagnosed with Ebola in Texas proved to worsen some people's fear of the outbreak spreading -- a scenario that is highly unlikely, according to experts.
