5 Feb 2020

Wuhan coronavirus fears fuel disinformation in Pacific

From , 5:02 am on 5 February 2020

New Zealand's government is being urged to do more to tackle online disinformation linking spicy food to the Wuhan coronavirus.

The posts, widely shared in the Pacific region, were also picked up by an iwi and a Tokelau government-funded organisation.

And as Mackenzie Smith reports, they are part of a wave of Wuhan rumours.

People wearing a mask walks past about the outbreak of coronavirus in Wuhan, China at Ginza shopping district in Tokyo, Japan, January 26, 2020.  (Photo by Hitoshi Yamada/NurPhoto)

Photo: AFP / FILE