- False rumors of an Ebola outbreak at Burning Man started online after heavy rain caused flooding.
- Ebola is usually found in parts of Africa and spread via direct contact with infected bodily fluid.
False rumors of an Ebola outbreak at Burning Man spread on social media over the weekend after heavy rain on Friday led to flooding and muddy conditions, with tens of thousands of festival go-ers told to shelter from storm conditions and conserve food and water.
Despite the chaos at Burning Man and the death of one attendee, officials have said that no cases of Ebola have been reported.
The Bureau of Land Management, which oversees the Black Rock Desert site in Nevada, told indy100 in a statement: "We have heard no information of any participants with Ebola."
The Bureau of Land Management did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
Rumors started to circulate on Saturday when some users on X, formerly known as Twitter, shared a screenshot of a fake CDC post that claimed there was an outbreak of the deadly illness, typically found in parts of Africa, at the site of the week-long music and arts festival.
Another X user claimed that they tested positive for Ebola, but they appear to have been joking, Forbes reported.
There have only been 11 cases of Ebola recorded in the US
Ebola is a severe and often fatal illness that is transmitted to people from wild animals, such as fruit bats and porcupines, and then spread among the human population via direct contact with an infected person's bodily fluids or contaminated surfaces, according to the World Health Organization. The average death rate is 50%, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.
It is what's known as a viral hemorrhagic fever, which are conditions that affect many of the body's organ systems, damage the overall cardiovascular system, and reduce the body's ability to function on its own.
The first Ebola outbreaks occurred in remote villages in Central Africa in 1976, and the 2014 to 2016 outbreak in West Africa was the worst on record, according to the WHO. During that period there were 11 cases of Ebola in the US, mostly in healthcare workers who had traveled to West Africa, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Symptoms can start out flu-like before progressing to bleeding and bruising
When people are infected with Ebola, they do not show signs straight away, but initial symptoms are flu-like, including fever, aches and pains, weakness, fatigue, and a sore throat. Later symptoms can include abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting, and unexplained bleeding or bruising.
At later stages of the illness, some people experience organ failure, inflammation of the brain, seizures, a lack of blood flow in the body, and death.
There are two FDA-approved treatments for Ebola and a vaccine. Other supportive care such as providing fluids to avoid dehydration, and using medication to support blood pressure and reduce flu-like symptoms, can significantly improve someone's chances of survival if given early, according to the CDC.