By Dipo Olowookere
Reports that the outbreak of Monkey Pox in some parts of the country resulted from a recent free medical care offered in Bayelsa State by the government have been rubbished by the Federal Government.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday, Minister of Information and Culture, Mr Lai Mohammed, described the reports as “fake.”
He appealed to Nigerians to disregard the report which he said was “apparently being spread by some unscrupulous persons to fit into a sinister agenda.”
According to him, “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,” Mr Mohammed said.
He assured that no effort will be spared in curtailing the spread of the disease.
Adedapo Adesanya 
Aduragbemi Omiyale