SA is not facing a deadly Covid XBB wave or egg-related Salmonella outbreak, despite posts
South Africans are once again the target of misleading health hoaxes, with two unrelated but widely shared false claims circulating on Facebook and WhatsApp. One warns of a 'deadly' new Covid-19 variant, called Omicron XBB, while the other suggests a Salmonella outbreak linked to local eggs. Both are false, and neither poses a current threat to the public in South Africa, according to authorities.
Covid-19: viral XBB warning is old and false
A Facebook post urging people to wear masks because of a so-called 'Covid-Omicron XBB' wave claims the variant is 'five times more virulent' than Delta, lacks typical symptoms like fever or cough, and is often undetectable with nasal swabs.
The post goes on to recommend two-layered masks, warns of pneumonia as an early sign, and urges people to stay away from crowds and share the message widely.
However, none of these claims are supported by current medical evidence - and local authorities flagged the post as fake on the official South African government Facebook page. Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi this week confirmed South Africa is monitoring a new Covid-19 variant but has not seen a resurgence in cases.
Research reveals that this message is an old copy-paste hoax that first circulated globally in late 2022. It has since gone viral in other countries and made an appearance in South Africa last year as well.
Independent fact-checkers at the time debunked the claims, noting that:
The XBB variant was first identified in August 2022 and is a recombination of Omicron sublineages BA.2.10.1 and BA.2.75.
There is no credible evidence that XBB is more deadly or virulent than Delta.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) and national health authorities have stated that there are no significant differences in severity between XBB and previous Omicron strains.
Claims that nasal swabs cannot detect it or that it attacks the lungs 'without symptoms' are not supported by science.
Egg-related Salmonella concern is also misplaced
At the same time, another viral claim suggests that a Salmonella outbreak is linked to eggs in South Africa. However, the South African Poultry Association has dismissed this as misinformation imported from abroad.
In a statement, the association clarified that the Salmonella outbreak referenced in the posts occurred in California, US, and there is no link to South African eggs.
A statement from the organisation says:
We confirm that there are no current Salmonella cases in South Africa that have caused people to be hospitalised. We further confirm that there are currently no confirmed cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (bird flu) in poultry in South Africa.
Social media posts provide further clarification:
Both hoaxes show how easily global health concerns can be recycled, repackaging old misinformation as urgent local alerts
In the case of the Covid-19 post, this includes exploiting outdated fears of new variants to push health advice designed to stoke anxiety - and responses below these posts on some platforms reveal the extent to which it is accepted as fact.
For the Salmonella claims, it may be a simple case of regional confusion, with an overseas outbreak wrongly presented as domestic - but the impact is similar, with the potential to undermine the local poultry industry.
In both instances, credible sources debunk the claims, which are more reliable than viral posts with no verifiable origin.
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