Monkeypox: Panic in Ondo as parents withdraw children from schools

PANIC and pandemonium enveloped some part of Ondo state on Tuesday following an unconfirmed rumor that some health officials were going round schools in the state with military operatives to forcefully inject school pupils against unknown killer disease.

The health officials, according to some parents who left their businesses and offices to withdraw their children from schools, had some military men and Policemen in their team, going the pupils to be immunized against their will.

Some of the areas affected by the rumor included, Owo, Ogbese, Akure, Idanre, Ondo, Ile Oluji, Ore, Igbaraoke and other parts of the state.

The rumor, which gained momentum across the state around 10am, caused pandemonium as parents rushed to schools to take home their children and wards thereby leading to early closure of schools.

However, some private schools in the Akure metropolis shut the gates of their schools to prevent unknown visitors into the school premises and to safeguard the school pupils from any unforeseen mishap and health risk.

Parents were also prevented form withdrawing their wards in some public schools like Aquinas College, Akure, Fiwasaye Girls Secondary School and others, to prevent the pupils falling prey to kidnappers and ritualists who may take advantage of the pandemonium to perpetrate nefarious activities.

It was gathered that some parents who were prevented from entering the schools scaled the school fence, insisting on withdrawing their wards from schools over fear of losing their children to the vaccine

The rumor had caused serious pandemonium in town as some people claimed that some children had died in Owo, headquarters of Owo local government area of the state, after they were administered with the vaccines.

One of the parents, Mrs Bola Anifowose, who spoke with Tribune Online said she left her office to pick her children from school when she learnt of the incident.

She said “I hurriedly left my office in Alagbaka to Oba ile to withdraw my children from their school but the school authorities assured me that there was no need for any panic.

“We learnt some school children were injected with the vaccine in Owo against their will and some of the children have gave up and this sent shivers into our spine”

However, reacting to the rumor, the state government in a statement issued and signed by the state commissioner for information and orientation, Mr Yemi Olowolabi, described the rumor as unfounded and baseless.

Olowolabi said investigation conducted by the state government has shown that such incident never happened in the state and urged the public, schools, students and teachers to go about their normal activities.

The statement stated “the attention of Ondo State government has been drawn to a rumor in circulation that a forced vaccination exercise is being conducted around schools in the State, with panicking parents withdrawing their wards from schools.

“The State Government wish to inform parents, students, teachers,  school authorities and the general public that the rumor is baseless, unfounded and should be disregarded.”

The State Government therefore advises the public, schools, students and teachers to go about their normal activities. Should there be any strange occurrence, the appropriate quarters should be informed immediately.”

Similarly, the state Commissioner of Health, Dr Wahab Adegbenro, said “there is presently no immunisation campaign going in the state apart from the routine immunisation going on at the health facilities in the state.”

He however urged the people of the state not to misconstrue the ongoing net campaign for immunisation and appealed to heads of educational institutions in the state not to allow any immunisation in their school until otherwise directed.

Also, the Military formation in the state, the 32 Artillery Brigade, denied its involvement in injecting the school pupils with vaccine as being spread in the state.

Reacting to the rumor and the military involvement, the Assistant Director Army Public Relations, Major Ojo Adelegan, denied the involvement of the military and called on the public to disregard the information, saying there is no ongoing medical outreach in Ondo state”

“The information is the hand work of mischief makers and should be treated as such”

In his reaction, the Ondo state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr Femi Joseph described the incident as a wild rumor which has caused an unnecessary apprehension and tension in the state.

Joseph advised the public to desist from peddling unfounded rumor in order to destabilize the prevalent peaceful atmosphere in Ondo State.