Communication and health in Algeria between information and rumor

Abstract

The sudden appearance of Covid 19 in the world has changed the communication and coexistence behavior of individuals. For its part, health in Algeria was not prepared to face a crisis marked by the rapid transmission of a new virus and a serious lack of information, which accelerated the emergence of rumors. The present study diagnosed the knowledge and sources of information of a sample of young people that consisted of 120 students by distributing electronic questionnaires) on Covid 19 to determine the rumors and the reasons for their emergence. Preliminary results confirmed that not all student’s information were correct, but instead contained rumors that were arisen for several reasons: -The absence versus the need for official information which was not sufficient. -The novelty of the virus and the lack of consensus between specialists. -Social networks made it easier to spread rumors and shared them.