There may not be Ebola at Burning Man, but hypothermia, stomach bugs, and food-borne illness will be a problem if storm conditions persist
This year's Burning Man was hit with nearly an inch of rain, causing flooding at the desert campsite.
Rumors swirled online about stranded attendees getting sick with Ebola due to dirty, wet conditions.
While Ebola isn't likely, one doctor told Insider, some infectious diseases and hypothermia are.
After storm conditions flooded the site of this year's Burning Man festival, rumors online were quick to swirl about a possible Ebola outbreak impacting the thousands of stranded burners still out on the playa.
Users on X, formerly known as Twitter, circulated fake posts from the CDC about an outbreak, claimed to have tested positive for the disease, and joked about a quarantine zone above the festival.
While an Ebola outbreak would be of grave concern if it were found at the camp due to its high rate of transmissibility, there is no evidence that anyone at the event has contracted the disease, Forbes reported. Representatives for Burning Man have not issued a statement on the rumors.
One general practice physician who has previously attended the festival told Insider an Ebola outbreak is unlikely — but other infectious diseases and health concerns are still a genuine risk due to current conditions on the ground at Black Rock City.
Attendees who remain at the event report filthy, flooded conditions at their campsites, which are so muddy that vehicles cannot travel through, and port-a-potties that cannot be serviced due to the rain. Even celebrity attendees like Chris Rock and Diplo reported walking five miles and hitching a ride with fans to get out of the area.
The Los Angeles-based physician, who requested anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the press in his current role, said recent weather conditions put stranded attendees at risk of hypothermia if they cannot get warm and dry. He added that the longer burners are stranded, the greater their likelihood of falling ill with COVID-19, food poisoning, and hygiene-related stomach bugs as essential cleaning supplies get low.
"If it rains again, which is going to prevent people from being able to use their vehicles for another three to four days, people are gonna get stranded there, and there's gonna be a resource crunch," the physician told Insider. "The port-a-potties are probably going to start overflowing, and that's gonna mix with the mud and the rain, and it's going to possibly spread infectious diseases."
He added: "As the days go on, and people realize that they're not going to have enough water to do dishes with, there's going to be a lot more sanitation issues and hygiene issues. And so I think people may start getting a little bit more desperate, and we may start seeing people getting sick if they don't find a way of getting out of there fast."
The desert festival site has been hit with nearly an inch of rain since Friday night — nearly three months worth of rainfall for the region, CNN reported, which is easily flooded due to its dry climate. The storm conditions are likely to continue in the coming days.
The Bureau of Land Management, which holds jurisdiction over the land Burning Man is held on, said in a statement to Insider that roads to the campsite had been closed and that "participants inbound for the event should turn around and head home."
"Rain over the last 24 hours has created a situation that required a full stop of vehicle movement on the playa," the BLM statement read. "More rain is expected over the next few days and conditions are not expected to improve enough to allow vehicles to enter the playa."
Burning Man organizers and representatives for the National Guard and Nevada Governor's office did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Insider.
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