Trump’s Bleach Bullshit Starts Viral Disinfo Campaign in Africa
ABUJA, Nigeria—Just hours after U.S. President Donald Trump suggested research into whether coronavirus might be treated by injecting disinfectant into the body, viral messaging about drinking such liquids or taking them intravenously began to spread across Nigeria on WhatsApp.
One typical message seen by The Daily Beast claims falsely that the U.S. government has “approved the use of disinfectants with high alcohol content and anti-microbial properties to treat patients with coronavirus.” Another WhatsApp message broadcast far and wide in this most populous African nation says disinfectants “work instantly” and Trump "has given the go ahead" for them to be used in COVID-19 treatment.
“I initially thought the message was authentic,” said Isaac Anani, who works at a private medical lab near the Nigerian capital, and found the idea at best implausible. He received the WhatsApp message from a “trusted friend” as early as 5 a.m. local time (midnight EDT), only a few hours after Trump appeared to suggest, in all seriousness, that his scientists should look into disinfectant and ultraviolet light—which kills the virus on counters or door handles—as treatments for the disease it causes when the virus bonds with cells inside the body.