Posts share fake Burning Man notices of Ebola symptoms

"If you are experiencing any of these symptoms hang a white garment such as a T-shirt, a shirt, a blouse, a dress out of your camper window," says the text over what appears to be an authentic public health notice.

"Do not leave your camper for any reason until the all clear has been given," it continues. "Your cooperation is vital."

The image lists symptoms to watch for, including "sudden high fever," "nausea and vomiting" and "nose and mouth bleeding."

It spread across X, formerly known as Twitter, and other platforms amid a flurry of posts falsely claiming there was an Ebola outbreak at the festival, an annual camp-out event in the US state of Nevada that culminates with the ceremonial burning of a giant effigy. Ebola is a viral infection that spreads through bodily fluids and can cause fever, vomiting, bleeding and diarrhea.

"They're passing these out at burning man because of the EBOLA OUTBREAK," says one September 2, 2023 tweet from an account that amplified the Ebola claims.

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Screenshot from X, formerly known as Twitter, taken September 8, 2023

Author Naomi Wolf, who has previously promoted Covid-19 vaccine misinformation, further amplified the supposed flyer.

Burning Man revelers were stuck for days after heavy rains flooded the remote desert site of the festival, trapping vehicles in sludge and prompting calls from organizers to shelter in place and conserve food and water before roads reopened.

But Burning Man organizers handed out no such poster as attendees hunkered down, a spokesperson confirmed to AFP.

"This is untrue and fake," said Dominique Debucquoy-Dodley, associate director of communications for the Burning Man Project, in a September 8 email.

Debucquoy-Dodley previously told AFP the rumors of an Ebola outbreak were "unfounded and untrue," echoing a statement posted on the event's website (archived here).

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also told AFP there was no evidence of flaring Ebola cases, while the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said it did not deploy any personnel or assets for that purpose.

"No request from local or state government was received by FEMA and there was no national emergency declared regarding the Burning Man festival," FEMA added in a September 8 email.

An AFP journalist at the festival did not observe anyone falling ill with Ebola and did not see any flyers distributed. Some Burning Man attendees posting photos and updates on social media refuted the claims (archived here, here and here).

A reverse image search revealed the supposed Burning Man flyer circulating online lifted its artwork from an infographic that lists Dengue Fever symptoms and appears on the stock image websites Shutterstock and Adobe Stock (archived here and here). Dengue Fever is a viral infection transmitted by mosquitoes.

AFP has debunked other misinformation about Burning Man here, here and here.