Fresh panic over ‘monkey pox vaccination’ in Rivers

Tuesday, October 17, 2017 8:49 pm

A person infected by monkey pox

Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt

Panic and tension enveloped educational institutions in Rivers State on Tuesday as parents and guardians hurriedly stormed schools in Port Harcourt, the state capital to pick their children based on the rumour that the Army was planning to forcefully inject them with Monkey pox virus.

The development led to desertion of the State owned Primary Schools in Rumuosi, Diobu, Igwuruta and others by pupils.

According to the rumour, the immunization is part of the 6 Division of the Nigerian Army’s Operation Crocodile Smile ll that has kicked off in the Niger Delta.

The panic was so palpable this morning as parent forced themselves into schools by scaling fences and through main gates of the schools public and primary schools to pick their wards.

On the score of the unfounded rumour, the Commissioner for Education in Rivers State, Tamunosisi Gogo-Jaja visited over 15 schools to persuade the panic-stricken parents that all they heard were mere rumours before heading for the Radio studios of Info FM 92.3 in Port Harcourt.

According to the Commissioner, “When I got to the schools to see the so-called Soldiers who were allegedly immunising our children without the knowledge of the Rivers state government shockingly I saw none.

“In the schools I visited, where they alleged soldiers visited, the Headmasters of those schools stated clearly that there was no immunization by the Army in any of the schools. It is a baseless and dangerous rumour aimed as causing panic. If the panic is not well handled, some kidnappers may cash on the confusion and pick other people’s children”.

He advised parents not to withdraw their children and wards from schools because there is no immunization by the Army and nothing like that can happen without the permission of the state government.

Meanwhille, Emma Okah, the Commissioner for Information and Communications said the state government the state goverment has not permitted the Army to carry out any immunization.

The spokesman of 6 Division of Nigerian Army, Colonel Aminu Illyiasu has debunked the rumor, saying though the Army has medical outreach planned as part of their operation, they had not started.

He explained that the Army only have textbooks to be donated to selected schools in state.