How Deadly Health Misinformation Triggered Violence in Congo and Africa
The Spread and Impact of Health Misinformation in Africa
By Jessica Donati, Fiston Mahamba and Rachael Kennedy
Origins of the Deadly Rumours in Tshopo
GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo, May 7 (Reuters) - In Tshopo, a northeastern Congolese province blanketed in rainforest, rumours rippled through villages late last year claiming a mysterious illness had caused men's genitals to atrophy.
Within days, testimonials proliferated on social media that amplified the imaginary threat, triggering a real-life panic that turned deadly before the government could react.
Escalation to Violence
Angry mobs attacked and killed four health workers conducting vaccination research in an episode that took place in October, four officials and a survivor told Reuters - a deadly example of the rising danger posed by online health misinformation in Africa.
The violence has since spread to other parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo. In all, at least 17 killings related to the atrophy rumour have been reported, including the health workers, according to the WHO-led Africa Infodemic Response Alliance, which monitors fake health information. Reuters could not independently verify the other deaths.
In Congo, misinformation "really led to death and murder," said the Nairobi-based alliance's director Elodie Ho. "It started in communities. It spread into social media and local media. It was amplified by those actors."
The Role of Social Media and Churches
An examination of over a dozen video testimonials by the news agency, one of them viewed hundreds of thousands of times, found that churches helped spread the rumours in Tshopo. Overseas accounts and local news media also played a role.
In two of the videos, verified by the news agency, pastors and worshippers at two churches in provincial capital Kisangani stated prayer had cured alleged victims.
To establish the October events in Tshopo and the spread of misinformation elsewhere in Africa, Reuters examined medical studies and spoke to at least 20 people including local and regional officials, health workers and medical experts.
Government and Legal Response
In response to questions from Reuters, Tshopo's government spokesman said local officials took the rumour seriously, investigating claims by five alleged victims, and found no evidence the illness was real.
The government has moved to punish those responsible for fueling the panic. A local court sentenced a man who accused another of spreading the disease to 12 months in prison, and around a dozen people were arrested, the spokesman and another local official said.
Mistrust Rooted in Colonial Past
MISTRUST ROOTED IN COLONIAL PAST
Prevalent in many parts of the world including the United States, a lack of faith in established medicine in parts of Africa is partly rooted in both the colonial era and more recent Western clinical trials.
Modern Factors Fueling Misinformation
Such mistrust is turbocharged by cheap artificial intelligence and widespread social media use, according to the African Union's Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. Uneven access to healthcare, weak rule of law and social media use play a part in the proliferation of rumours.
Dr. Jean Kaseya, Director General of the African Union's Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, said false information was keeping people away from lifesaving treatments.
"When populations do not trust vaccines, health workers, or government policies, it means they don’t access services that can help them survive," he said.
Wider Impact Across Africa
As well as in Congo, attacks on community leaders and health workers have been recorded in Mozambique and Malawi, linked to false cholera-related information.
A WHO-managed healthline aiming to combat health misinformation and provide authoritative advice has seen calls surge from 3,331 in the first quarter of 2025 to 31,636 in the fourth.
Another WHO project, tracking interactions with communities, recorded around 500 incidents since its launch last year related to rumours, conspiracy theories and other false information.
The Influence of Churches and Claims of Cures
CHURCHES AND THE CURE
Dr. Bavon Tangunza, manager for the AIRA alliance in Congo, received a warning about the fake illness in Tshopo early in October, he said, when a colleague flagged the rumor spreading in the province.
Video testimonials by alleged victims soon appeared online.
Prominent Figures and Viral Videos
One showed a taxi driver on stage at a Christian gathering in Tshopo recounting how megachurch pastor Jules Mulindwa of the Pentecostal Church Light of the World, located in Kisangani, had cured him with prayer.
The taxi driver presented no evidence, and Reuters was unable to identify him by name. The news agency could not establish who filmed the video, which bears the church's logo. Posted on TikTok by a prominent church worker, it was widely watched - and shared.
On the Facebook page of Boyoma Revolution, an online news site listed with an address in Marseille, France, the video has been viewed more than 300,000 times.
A self-styled prophet whose TikTok channel shows him with large crowds of followers and has over 400,000 subscribers, Mulindwa has previously falsely claimed to cure coronavirus, according to CongoCheck, an online factchecking platform.
Legal Troubles for Religious Leaders
He received a 12-month prison term for defamation last year, according to a photo of the judgement viewed by Reuters. He has not served the sentence, a lawyer for the prosecution said. In response to questions from the news agency, a close relative who works for Mulindwa denied he had been convicted.
Mulindwa did not respond to requests for comment.
Another video, posted online by a local church called Assemblée Chretienne de Kisangani on October 3, showed pastor Christophore Kabamba at the church claiming to have a miracle cure. The church did not respond to requests for comment.
James Baka, a Kisangani university student who appears in the clip, told Reuters in a Facebook message that he saw others miraculously cured by the pastor.
In response to a request for comment
