Mpox Outbreak: Separating Facts from Myths Amid Media Coverage

Pro-Kremlin Disinformation Campaigns Target Mpox Crisis in Africa, Echoing Cold War Tactics

Russian-linked networks are exploiting the ongoing mpox health crisis in Africa through sophisticated disinformation campaigns reminiscent of deadly Cold War-era propaganda, security and health experts warn.

The current wave of conspiracy theories surrounding mpox bears striking similarities to Operation Denver, a notorious 1983 KGB disinformation campaign that falsely portrayed HIV/AIDS as a U.S. bioweapon. That Soviet operation, which reached over 80 countries, had devastating consequences when it influenced policy decisions by leaders like South African President Thabo Mbeki, whose rejection of scientific consensus on HIV treatment led to an estimated 330,000 preventable deaths, according to Harvard researchers.

Today’s disinformation landscape has evolved with technology but employs familiar tactics. False narratives circulating in African media and online platforms suggest mpox was engineered in European laboratories to sterilize Congolese communities or generate profits for pharmaceutical companies, according to monitoring by disinformation researchers.

The virus, formerly known as monkeypox, was first identified in laboratory monkeys in Copenhagen in 1958, with the first human case documented in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In September 2023, a new variant designated as clade 1b emerged in Kamituga, a mining town in DRC’s South Kivu Province. Despite earlier containment efforts, this new strain spread rapidly across the country, prompting the World Health Organization to declare a global health emergency in August 2024.

Public health experts note that colonial-era medical abuses have created fertile ground for distrust across Africa. This historical context, combined with rapid information sharing on social media, allows false narratives to gain traction quickly.

Influential figures have amplified these conspiracies. Togolese activist Egountchi Behanzin, who commands a significant social media following in francophone Africa, has reportedly spread false claims about mpox and other diseases. According to Wall Street Journal investigations, Behanzin allegedly received payments from Russian entities while promoting anti-Western health narratives.

By August 2024, Russian state media outlets including Sputnik and TASS were actively promoting Russian vaccine development efforts by the Gamaleya Institute and Rospotrebnadzor while simultaneously undermining confidence in Western aid initiatives. This dual approach appears designed to position Russia as Africa’s trusted partner while portraying Western countries and the WHO as malevolent actors.

“The strategy mirrors classic Soviet active measures, but with digital amplification,” explained one disinformation researcher who requested anonymity due to security concerns. “These campaigns don’t just spread false information—they exploit legitimate historical grievances and current anxieties to deepen divides.”

Health officials are particularly concerned about disinformation linking mpox to LGBTIQ+ communities, which not only stigmatizes vulnerable populations but could potentially trigger violence and drive the epidemic further underground, making containment more difficult.

The consequences extend beyond public perception. When disinformation takes root, vaccination campaigns face resistance, treatment protocols are questioned, and containment measures become harder to implement. Public health experts warn that without addressing the information crisis alongside the biological one, efforts to control mpox will be severely hampered.

“Vaccines alone won’t stop disease spread if communities reject them based on false information,” said a WHO spokesperson. “Building trust through transparent communication is as essential as medical interventions.”

As mpox continues to spread, health authorities face the dual challenge of treating the disease while countering the viral spread of disinformation—a battle that carries echoes of deadly propaganda campaigns from decades past but with potentially faster and wider impact in today’s connected world.