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Fake news happens a lot these days. Good, bad or ugly it all travels fast on social media.

What is the definition of fake news? According to Merriam-Webster fake news is frequently used to describe a political story which is seen as damaging to an agency, entity, or person. However, it is by no means restricted to politics, and seems to have currency in terms of general news.

This week fake news was stirring up shares about White Lake. Someone claiming to be running for the Mayor of Hope Mills posted a screenshot on Facebook with unsubstantiated allegations about White Lake.

Keith Bowen for Hope Mills Mayor with less than 300 followers on his Facebook page posted the screenshot of another Facebook user with claims about bacteria received at White Lake. “Don’t know if it’s true, but I know I have friends going there, or are there,” was the message Bowen published with his disturbing post.

With clear disregard of fact checking before posting, Bowen then posted a comment, “Oh Wow! Get out the water!”

We reached out to the Facebook user with the unverified claims and to Keith Bowen for Hope Mills Mayor. Bowen did respond back stating he did not contact any officials about his posts.

After Bowen shared the sensational post July 4th on his political page he said he woke up to “big numbers” the next day.

Businesses and tourism for the lake itself could be affected by Bowen’s post that received over 4,000 shares. We asked Bowen if he shared the post to only get more views on his page for political reasons. Bowen denied using the hot topic to help him gain momentum for his political hopes.

White Lake Mayor, Goldston Womble, said they had a crowd at Goldston’s beach at White Lake this week and he had not received any reports about any infections. Womble also said he and his family were in the lake all week as well and have not had any skin issues.

However, Womble did hear about the Facebook posts. Womble said he did contact the Health and Human Services Director of Bladen County, David Howard, when he heard about the Facebook post.

Womble also noted the state of North Carolina has been testing the water at White Lake and the levels have been in the normal range.

We did reach out to David Howard at the health department as well. Howard issued the following statement.

Subsequent to a post on the social network Facebook® using the phase “flesh eating bacteria” referring to a photograph of a possibly infected skin area and an indication that it was attributed to activity at White Lake, NC, Bladen County Public Health has not received any direct or official reports from any person or healthcare professional corroborating this post. We believe the residence of the poster is a neighboring county and contacted that county health department to ask if they had received such a report, and they had not. We have viewed the post and have no way of knowing with any certainty any information about such post.

Our normal course of business will be to receive reports of illness from persons and healthcare professionals and investigate as needed, which is one of our core functions in public health. But, we are unable to corroborate undefined comments lacking any medical diagnosis on social media outlets.

Recreational Water Safety in Natural Bodies of Water:

Natural bodies of water like lakes, rivers and the ocean may, and do, contain organisms that may cause nuisance issues such as rash or illness in people. These organisms are naturally occurring and have always been part of the ecosystem of natural bodies of water.

Some Basic Precautions To Consider:

• Avoid allowing water to enter into nasal passages, ear canals, or into one’s eyes in any significant volume or for prolonged periods of time as this simply increases chances of irritation and/or infection – one may use a nose clip, goggles, ear plugs

• Shower with soap after exiting the water

• Know one’s sensitivity to irritants of the skin and eyes, and take reasonable precautions

• Cover any open cuts, scratches or abrasions with a waterproof bandage

• Avoid stagnant water or water with algae in it

• Avoid digging in or stirring up the sediment in shallow, warm freshwater lakes