2014 in review: Ebola, Boko Haram, elections and dodgy data
From the Boko Haram insurgency and the nightmare of Ebola, to quack cures and dodgy data, Africa Check fact-checked dozens of claims in several African countries this year.
checked
Tag: Ebola
incorrect
Claim that ‘all entry points’ in Ghana are equipped to screen for Ebola is false
Ghanaian officials have publicly disagreed over the readiness of the country to contain Ebola at its borders. Africa Check investigated, and found government claims of preparedness to be false.
Factsheet: FACTSHEET: The leading causes of death in Africa in 2012
The West African Ebola epidemic, the worst in the history of the disease, has focused international attention on sub-Saharan Africa in 2014 – and rightly so, given the virulence and rapid spread of the virus. Yet other deaths in the region dwarf those of the virus.
unproven
Ebola ‘cure’ professor’s eye drop remedy also questionable
A Nigerian professor has claimed that eye drops made from an extract of the bitter kola tree can treat glaucoma. The evidence is questionable.
Factsheet: FACTSHEET: Ebola risks, diagnosis and treatment
What is Ebola? Who is at risk? How is it diagnosed? How does it spread? How are patients treated? What controls the spread? This factsheet has the answers.
unproven
No evidence that plant concoction can cure Ebola
A medical professor has told the Nigerian press that drinking a concoction made of the ewedu plant can prevent and cure Ebola. Her claim is not supported by the available evidence.
incorrect
The unofficial ‘cures’ offered to date for Ebola are simply hoaxes
![A sign that says "[w]atch out ! The Ebola threat is for real" is displayed in downtown Abidjan, Ivory Coast, as part of steps to prevent the deadly virus from reaching this West African nation. Photo: AFP/Issouf Sanogo](https://africacheck.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/000_Par7954370-300x168.jpg)
Will bathing in hot water and salt save you from Ebola? Or an impressive sounding substance called ‘nano-silver’? These measures are exploitative hoaxes.
Factsheet: FACTSHEET: What is Ebola?
The Ebola outbreak in West Africa is the largest recorded to date. What is Ebola, how does it kill and what can be done to stop it?