There has been a fabricated “Ebola outbreak” during the Burning Man festival. After reports that over 70,000 festivalgoers had been stuck in the Nevada desert due to water caused by heavy rain, fake tweets started circulating on social media.
Ebola extermination in-progress at Burning Man pic.twitter.com/QdEiPcFif1
— Pepper Brooks (@pepbrooksESPN) September 3, 2023
The Pershing County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed that a fatality occurred at the festival grounds but has not released any other information about the incident, including the identification of the dead or the circumstances surrounding their passing.
Vehicle access was cut off on Saturday (2 September) and festival organizers asked attendees to stay behind and save food, water, and other supplies. On Saturday night, rumors began spreading that the event had seen an epidemic of Ebola. Everything you need to know about Burning Man is right here.
Is there an epidemic of Ebola at Burning Man?
The Burning Man event is not experiencing an epidemic of Ebola. On Saturday, a viral post stated that instances of the contagious illness had been identified, making an already bad situation for festivalgoers much worse. As a result, many people began spreading false information that an Ebola epidemic had occurred at the Nevada music festival.
On X (previously known as Twitter), hoax messages purportedly from the CDC warned of an Ebola epidemic at Burning Man.
EBOLA OUTBREAK BURNING MAN pic.twitter.com/BwvkMLX2IK
— UAE Exotic Falconry & Finance (@FalconryFinance) September 3, 2023
False information, including that a quarantine zone had been established on the event grounds, spread rapidly on social media. There is zero proof of an Ebola epidemic at Burning Man.
What happened at Burning Man?
Flooding induced by recent rain has left the Burning Man event in chaos, with hundreds of attendees still missing. The Pershing County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed a fatality occurred on the premises during the course of the event, but they have not released any other information about the incident, including the identification of the dead or the circumstances surrounding their passing.
On Saturday, festival organizers were forced to shut off vehicular access to the event, urging festivalgoers to stay there and save food, water, and other resources.
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When did Burning Man become so inaccessible?
The lake bed encampment at Burning Man has flooded, leaving festivalgoers trapped. Black Rock City, Nevada is recognized more for its blazing temperatures than for the event it hosts.
The desert sand turned to mud after heavy rains on Friday, making it difficult for cars to go about. Vehicle access was restricted on Saturday, and festival organizers asked attendees to stay put and preserve food, drink, and other resources.
According to the Reno Gazette-Journal, the event’s organizers have begun restricting ice sales and have banned all vehicle travel on the festival grounds, making it impossible to repair the portable toilets. On Saturday, festival organizers blocked up the roads so that attendees couldn’t drive in or leave. It was unclear when people would be allowed to leave, and officials had not yet announced when the entry would reopen.
Ebola: What Is It?
According to the NHS, “infected body fluids, such as semen, saliva, blood, poop, pee, and vomit” are how people transmit Ebola. Recent lethal outbreaks in central and west African nations including Uganda, Guinea, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo have been caused by this disease, which is spread by wild animals.
The CDC estimates that the average death rate for this uncommon but deadly infection is 50%.
