Monkeypox, Disinformation, and Fact-Checking: A Review of Ten Iberoamerican Countries in the Context of Public Health Emergency

Abstract

This paper examines the disinformation and fact-checking activity of ten Ibero-American countries during the outbreak of monkeypox in 2022. Using a mixed-methods approach based on content analysis, the debunkings published by these organizations on their websites between 7 May and 10 September 2022 are studied. The countries with the highest number of debunkings are Spain and Bolivia, with two verification agencies, Maldita and Bolivia Verifica. The outbreak’s onset marked a peak in the spread of hoaxes, particularly following the declaration of the disease as a public health emergency. The identification of disinformants is challenging due to the diverse dissemination channels, although Twitter predominantly serves as the platform of choice. The preferred format for disinformation is image text, and the common theme links monkeypox to a side effect of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. Furthermore, the internationalization capacity of scientific hoaxes is demonstrated. Fact-checking agencies conduct adequate and thorough source verification, predominantly relying on official and expert sources. However, they employ limited digital tools that could expedite the verification process. Disinformation regarding monkeypox is closely related to COVID-19 hoaxes, either by resurrecting conspiracy theories or through the dissemination of speeches by well-known anti-vaccine activists who belong to healthcare collectives and were influential during the health pandemic.