Aid agencies have raised concerns over attacks on health care workers, patients and medical by people who do not want responders in their communities due to false information about the Covid-19 pandemic.

Reports say that health care workers fighting the virus in dozens of countries are facing violence from fearful communities who have attacked doctors and burnt down clinics.

Development Diaries gathered that in South Africa a testing station and a clinic were torched by people who did not want responders in their neighbourhood.

‘Even for areas that have experienced very big HIV and TB epidemics, this was just different. The media response was so overwhelming, and (there is) so much social media misinformation’, spokesman for Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), Sean Christie, told Reuters.

It was learnt that even though governments and charities had launched information campaigns, more work was needed to address fake news, make sure people have access to the facts and include local communities in decision-making because some of the people believe that Covid-19 is man-made, that it is not real, or that new testing facilities or health centres will bring it to communities.

The Head of Health at the International Community of Red Cross, Esperanza Martinez, said, ‘Fear of contracting the disease and the lack of basic knowledge concerning Covid-19 are often the underlying reasons behind violent acts.

‘To protect health care staff, medical facilities and patients from violence, it is of paramount importance to disseminate accurate information’.

The Programme Manager for Catholic Relief Services, Baba Balajo, said, ‘In The Gambia, there have been no attacks but people are avoiding health facilities out of fear and trying to self-diagnose their illnesses.

‘We have had people expressing the fear that nowadays when you go to the health facilities you are always diagnosed with Covid-19. It is a problem because people now resort to going to pharmacies, and that may not resolve their health problems’.

Source: Reuters