A report that says a family in the town of Purdon, Texas has got the Ebola virus and the town was quarantined is fake.
It was posted on the National Report, a satirical website.
The bogus report says: “The small town of Purdon, Texas has been quarantined after a family of five tested positive for the Ebola virus. Purdon is located just 70 miles from Dallas, Texas, and the hospital that has cared for both American Ebola patients, Thomas Eric Duncan, and Texas nurse, Nina Pham.”
Thomas Eric Duncan and Nina Pham have in fact be diagnosed with Ebola, with Duncan dying earlier this month. Duncan traveled from Liberia, a country that’s been hard-hit by the virus, to the US and he apparently came into contact with Pham.
However, the report goes on to say that a man contracted the virus, which is fake.
The National Report doesn’t currently have a disclaimer since it was taken down a few months ago.
It used to read: “*DISCLAIMER: National Report is a news and political satire web publication, which may or may not use real names, often in semi-real or mostly fictitious ways. All news articles contained within National Report are fiction, and presumably fake news. Any resemblance to the truth is purely coincidental . The views expressed by writers on this site are theirs alone and are not reflective of the fine journalistic and editorial integrity of National Report. Advice given is NOT to be construed as professional. If you are in need of professional help (and you may be if you are on this page), please consult a professional. National Report is intended for a mature audience and not for children under the age of 18.”
Hoax-debunking site Snopes.com also has a writeup on the bogus report, which says: “In just a few hours, the Texas quarantine article was shared tens of thousands of times on Facebook. However, National Report is a fake news site that publishes sensational, made-up stories such as “15 Year Old Who ‘SWATTED’ Gamer Convicted of Domestic Terrorism,“ ”Solar Panels Drain the Sun’s Energy, Experts Say,“ and ”Vince Gilligan Announces Breaking Bad Season 6.” While the yarn about additional Ebola cases in Texas is not nearly as lighthearted and perhaps more plausible than those japes, it’s still completely fabricated.”
