False Rumors of the Ebola Outbreak have surged on social media with the claim of one dead amid Burning Man Festival 2023 in the Nevada desert where festival-goers are already grappling with severe stormy conditions.
The festival has been badly affected by harsh climatic conditions, following desert grounds transformed into a muddy mess after a huge rain storm, leaving thousands of festival goers to seek shelter and conserve their food and water.
Sharing this rumor on Twitter(X), a user named Mystfying Oracle says: “Potential infection of up to 15 individuals with Ebola at Burning Man festival in Nevada — Reuters”
Furthermore, some users posted an image on Twitter(X) showing a message that claims the death of one of the festival goers due to ebola, stating that reports have confirmed the Ebola outbreak on the grounds of the Burning Man in Nevada. Attendees have been told to shelter in place allegedly due to all of the flooding, and one attendee died.
Fact-Check
DFRAC team searched some keywords related to the above rumor on Google. Meanwhile, the team found some media reports dismissing the rumor of the Ebola Outbreak in the Nevada desert in the US.
According to news by the website Forbes, “Festival-goers at Burning Man in the Nevada desert are currently struggling with severe mud after storms flooded the event, Those dire conditions have caused a lot of misinformation to start cropping up on social media. In fact, some people claim an Ebola outbreak has started at Burning Man. But it’s simply not true”.
Moreover, the Magazine website Outlook published an article with the headline: “Has Ebola Virus Hit Burning Man Festival? Here is what we know so far”. In this article, Outlook reveals: ” Despite the tumultuous situation at Burning Man and the unfortunate passing of one participant, authorities have reassured the public that no instances of Ebola have been reported. The Bureau of Land Management, responsible for managing the Black Rock Desert site in Nevada, has stated to the press that they have not received any reports of participants having Ebola”.
Following this, the team discovered a press release on the website of NETEC (National Emerging Special Pathogens Training and Education Center ) which states: “Rumors of Ebola outbreak at Burning Man are false”.
In addition to that, the team found another news published by Hindustan Times which was associated with the claim of one dead due to the Ebola outbreak in Nevada. The headline of the news reads: “Was there an Ebola outbreak at Burning Man? Authorities respond after conspiracy theories float”. In this news, the Hindustan Times mentioned: “it has been revealed that drugs are believed to be the cause of death of one person who died at Burning Man, authorities claimed”.
Conclusion
DFRAC’s Fact-Check proves that rumors of the Ebola outbreak in Nevada during Burning Man Festival 2023 are completely Fake. In fact, the festival is surrounded by severe muddy and stormy conditions after a terrible rainstorm.
