Satirical posts on measles fuel misinformation online

Measles has emerged as a major concern in the country. Over the past two months, the number of patient suffering from the disease and its symptoms has exceeded 50,000, while more than 400 have died. Most of the infected and deceased are children.

Amid this concern, a series of fake comments attributed to political figures, physicians and other well-known personalities have been spreading on social media. In most cases, these comments are being circulated through photo cards.

Verification has found that many of the widely discussed posts originated from various sarcasm or satire-based Facebook pages. Many users are mistaking the satirical posts for genuine statements and sharing them further.

For example, a photo card quoting National Citizen Party (NCP) chief organiser (southern region) and Member of Parliament Hasnat Abdullah claimed that he said, “Children are being deliberately killed to frame Dr Yunus over the measles issue.”

Verification found that Hasnat Abdullah made no such comment. A review of the posts found no credible source supporting the claim. Moreover, no such statement was found on Hasnat Abdullah’s Facebook page or in any interviews or remarks published in the media.

When tracing the source of the circulated photo card it led to a Facebook page named ‘Doinik Mollar Desh’. Posts from this page have spread widely across Facebook walls.

The same page also published a satirical post quoting photographer Shahidul Alam. It claimed that he said, “So far, a few hundred children have died from measles, whereas thousands of children die in Gaza in a single day. I do not speak on minor issues.”

However, no evidence of such a statement was found on his social media pages, in interviews or in any media reports.

Another post on the same page quoted lawyer and presenter Manzur Al Matin as saying, “Dr Yunus is not responsible for child deaths caused by measles; excessive heat is to blame. Children are dying because they cannot tolerate the intense heat.”

Yet no such statement by Manzur Al Matin could be found anywhere.

Another viral photo card about the measles situation quoted NCP convener and opposition chief whip Nahid Islam as saying, “There is no measles in the country. Fascist physicians in hospitals are deliberately killing children to frame Dr Yunus.”

Verification found that this claim originated from a sarcasm page named ‘Bengali Steam’. After the post was first published on 7 May, it spread as though it were a genuine statement. However, no evidence supporting the claim could be found in any news outlets or reliable sources.

In fact, speaking at an event in Chattogram on 7 May, Nahid Islam said, “A measles outbreak has spread across the country. More than a hundred children have died. Those who are truly responsible for this crisis must be brought to justice. But the current government cannot avoid its own responsibility simply by placing all the blame on the previous government.”

Another photo card circulated from the same ‘Bengali Steam’ page quoting NCP MP Abdul Hannan Masud from Noakhali-6 constituency. It claimed that he said, “Judging by the public outrage, it seems as though 100,000 children have died of measles. Come on, the number has not even reached 1,000 yet.”

The same page also posted a photo card involving NCP chief organiser (northern region) Sarjis Alam. The post quoted him as saying, “Why is everyone so concerned about measles? Measles is merely a test from Allah. Some children will die from measles, but twice as many children will be born — that is perfectly normal.”

However, Sarjis Alam never made any such statement. No published report containing such remarks by him could be found in the media.

In another similar post, Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Sakhawat Hossain was quoted as saying, “A vested group is branding every child death in hospitals as measles-related deaths. This is actually being done to put the government in a false position.”

No evidence supporting such a statement by the minister could be found anywhere.

Another photo card quoted Jamaat-e-Islami chief and opposition leader Shafiqur Rahman as saying, “All those who die of measles will be martyrs. Don’t you want your children to attain martyrdom?”

No media outlet has reported Shafiqur Rahman making such remarks. Verification found that the post originated from a sarcasm page called ‘Gupto Television’.

The same page also quoted Jamaat MP for Kushtia-3 constituency Amir Hamza as saying, “What is the point of abusing Dr Yunus over measles? By the grace of Allah, for every child who dies from measles, 10 more children have been born.”

In addition, another photo card was circulated quoting physician Tasnim Jara, who gained popularity after contesting the parliamentary election. The post claimed she said, “Many people are asking why I am not speaking about measles. I have always felt that discussing sexual health issues is more important than discussing measles.”

The bio section of the ‘Doinik Mollar Desh’ page clearly states that it is a satire page. The same applies to ‘Bengali Steam’. The page, ‘Gupto TV’ also identifies itself as an entertainment page.

However, many social media users are treating their posts as genuine and spreading them online. In this way, misinformation on a sensitive issue such as public health is creating confusion among the public.