Facebook to remove false information on coronavirus after WHO declares global emergency

Social media giant Facebook on January 30 said that it will take down all false information in relation to the coronavirus that has claimed 231 lives. Facebook's decision comes after the World Health Organization declared the viral outbreak a matter of global health emergency. According to reports, the company said that it will take down all information deemed false by global health organizations and health authorities on a local level.

Facebook criticised for floating false information

Facebook has been subject to immense criticism reportedly due to false information being circulated on its platform. For example- incorrect information on the vaccine in Samoa, where an outbreak of the measles disease claimed almost a dozen lives. The Mark Zuckerburg led company has reportedly also removed false information on polio vaccines in Pakistan.

With China reeling from the coronavirus outbreak, the death toll has risen to 213 with about 9800 confirmed cases in China after the Hubei province reported 42 new fatalities on January 31. Within the past 24 hours, over 1,200 new cases of the disease have been recorded in 17 Chinese cities, the Chinese media reported. The new figures came shortly after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a Global Health Emergency over the deadly epidemic, which has spread to over 20 countries around the world.

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Coronavirus originated from seafood and animal market in Wuhan

According to reports, the coronavirus originated from seafood and animal market located in Wuhan. The viral outbreak has caused concern because of its similarity to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) which claimed the lives of almost 650 people across China and Hong Kong in the year 2002-2003.

The novel coronavirus is a new strain in the large family of coronaviruses (CoV) which was previously not identified in humans. CoV causes illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV).

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