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Parents withdraw wards from school in Omu Aran over rumours of Monkey Pox innoculation

By Abiodun Fagbemi Ilorin
19 October 2017   |   4:28 am
According to Mrs Damilola Adedayo a parent in one of the affected schools, “whether or not the rumour is fake, I am going home with my two children now and nobody can stop me. I learnt the so-called mokeypox vaccines could kill anyone so injected.

Monkeypox

Panic gripped some parents yesterday at Omuaran in Irepodun Local Government Area, (LGA), of Kwara state over an alleged plans that the military personnel were about to inoculate pupils of primary and post primary schools in the town against monkey pox disease.

As early as 9 am parents tripped into both public and private schools in the town demanding for their wards and children citing an alleged plan by the soldiers to immunize them against the communicable disease.

According to Mrs Damilola Adedayo a parent in one of the affected schools, “whether or not the rumour is fake, I am going home with my two children now and nobody can stop me. I learnt the so-called mokeypox vaccines could kill anyone so injected.

Assurances from some of the spirited head teachers of the schools to the parents that the rumour was untrue fell on deaf ears. The ensuing pandemonium made proprietors of some of the schools to in the process hurriedly order the closure of their schools.

Promptly, the state government through Alhaji Amusa Bello, the Special Adviser on Security to the state Governor Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, debunked the claims in a press statement urging the parents to halt the withdrawal of their children from the schools.

According to the statement, “it has come to the notice of the Kwara State Government that certain individuals are spreading rumours about soldiers injecting school pupils in Omu-Aran, Irepodun Local Area of the State.

“The general public is hereby advised to ignore such rumours as neither the Nigerian Army nor any other security agency is currently undertaking a vaccination exercise or any other health campaign in any part of the state.

“Members of the public, particularly parents, are advised not panic and to refrain from withdrawing their wards from schools based on this unfounded rumour. “

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