The Nigerian Government in a statement released by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, debunked claims that the outbreak of Monkey Pox in some parts of the country resulted from the alleged free medical care by the government in the affected areas.
Nigerians have been advised to disregard the report which, apparently, is being spread by some unscrupulous persons to fit into a sinister agenda. The Minister also assured Nigerians that the Federal Government is trying its best to curtail the spread of the new viral disease which broke out in Bayelsa last week and has now spread to Rivers and Akwa Ibom.
”The Federal Government has not conducted any free medical service or care in either Bayelsa or Rivers state, as alleged in the fake report being circulated. So that could not have been the cause of the outbreak of Monkey Pox in both states. Monkey Pox is a virus found only in monkeys and it is rare in human beings. It belongs to the same family as Chicken Pox and Smallpox. It is suspected that someone may have contacted it by eating monkey meat, thus triggering the current outbreak,” the Minister said.