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Man whose farts kill mosquitos? No, patient being tested for Ebola

“Man whose farts can kill mosquitoes paid millions by mosquito repellent company,” claims a story doing the rounds on Facebook in December 2019. It’s been shared as a screenshot, and with links to the same article posted on blogs in Nigeria, Ghana and Uganda.

It shows a close-up of a man with a device being held next to his head.

The article claims the man is “Joe Rwamirama from Kampala, Uganda” whose farts are being studied by “two big mosquito repellent companies”.

Rwamirama, it says, is earning lots of cash from the study of his farts, which kill all mosquito-sized flying insects within a 6 metre radius.

Is this bizarre story true? We checked.

Ebola testing in DRC


A Google reverse image search reveals that the photo was first published in a July 2019 article on Sky News titled: “Ebola warning after ‘game changing’ case recorded in Congolese city of Goma.”

“A man is checked for Ebola in Goma,” the caption reads. The device in the photo is a non-contact infrared thermometer.

The article reports on authorities in Goma trying to trace a 46-year-old pastor who was found to have Ebola before and during the bus journey to the city.

Africa Check could find no credible reports from reputable news sources on “Joe Rwamirama from Kampala, Uganda”, whose farts kill mosquitos.

The story is totally made up. The man in the photo is from the DRC, and was being tested for Ebola. – Grace Gichuhi

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