DISINFO: Migrants, not birds, brought West Nile Fever to the Czech Republic
DISINFORMATION CASE DETAILS
  • Outlet: parlamentnilisty.cz ( archived) *
  • Date of publication: June 20, 2018
  • Outlet language(s): Czech
  • Countries / regions discussed: Czech Republic

DISINFO: Migrants, not birds, brought West Nile Fever to the Czech Republic

SUMMARY

Mainstream media are wrong in reporting that West Nile Fever, several cases of which have occurred in the Czech Republic recently, has been brought in by birds. An expert presents an alternative version claiming that the virus was brought in by migrants from Africa.

RESPONSE

West Nile fever is caused by a virus transmitted by mosquitoes and whose reservoir includes wild birds and mosquitoes. Actually, person-to-person transmission of West Nile fever has not been reported. ecdc.europa.eu/en/west-nile-fever/facts/factsheet-about-west-nile-fever, Furthermore, the "expert" in question teaches programming at a university in Prague. He is also a vocal critic of censorship on the internet, as well as of migrants from Muslim countries. There is no information available as to his expertise in epidemiology and contagious diseases. The article builds on a narrative that migrants are dangerous and contagious.

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Cases in the EUvsDisinfo database focus on messages in the international information space that are identified as providing a partial, distorted, or false depiction of reality and spread key pro-Kremlin messages. This does not necessarily imply, however, that a given outlet is linked to the Kremlin or editorially pro-Kremlin, or that it has intentionally sought to disinform. EUvsDisinfo publications do not represent an official EU position, as the information and opinions expressed are based on media reporting and analysis of the East Stratcom Task Force.

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