konga Ad Campaign konga Ad Campaign konga Ad Campaign
ADVERTISEMENT
  • The Membership Club
  • #EndSARS Dashboard
  • PT Hausa
  • About Us
  • Advert Rates
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
Saturday, July 2, 2022
Premium Times Nigeria
  • Home
  • Gender
  • News
    • Headline Stories
    • Top News
    • More News
    • Foreign
  • Investigations
  • Business
    • News Reports
    • Financial Inclusion
    • Analysis and Data
    • Business Specials
    • Opinion
    • Oil/Gas Reports
      • FAAC Reports
      • Revenue
  • Opinion
  • Health
    • News Reports
    • Special Reports and Investigations
      • Health Specials
    • Features and Interviews
    • Multimedia
    • Primary Health Tracker
  • Agriculture
    • News Report
    • Special Reports/Investigations
    • Features and Interviews
    • Multimedia
  • Arts/Life
    • Arts/Books
    • Kannywood
    • Lifestyle
    • Music
    • Nollywood
    • Travel
  • Sports
    • Football
    • More Sports News
    • Sports Features
  • Projects
    • #EndSARS Dashboard
    • Parliament Watch
    • Panama Papers
    • Paradise Papers
    • AGAHRIN
  • #PandoraPapers
  • AUN-PT Data Hub
  • Home
  • Gender
  • News
    • Headline Stories
    • Top News
    • More News
    • Foreign
  • Investigations
  • Business
    • News Reports
    • Financial Inclusion
    • Analysis and Data
    • Business Specials
    • Opinion
    • Oil/Gas Reports
      • FAAC Reports
      • Revenue
  • Opinion
  • Health
    • News Reports
    • Special Reports and Investigations
      • Health Specials
    • Features and Interviews
    • Multimedia
    • Primary Health Tracker
  • Agriculture
    • News Report
    • Special Reports/Investigations
    • Features and Interviews
    • Multimedia
  • Arts/Life
    • Arts/Books
    • Kannywood
    • Lifestyle
    • Music
    • Nollywood
    • Travel
  • Sports
    • Football
    • More Sports News
    • Sports Features
  • Projects
    • #EndSARS Dashboard
    • Parliament Watch
    • Panama Papers
    • Paradise Papers
    • AGAHRIN
  • #PandoraPapers
  • AUN-PT Data Hub
Premium Times Nigeria
BUA Group Ad BUA Group Ad BUA Group Ad
ADVERTISEMENT
File photo of a female health official tries to drop a polio vaccine into the mouth of a child at Kaiama town, 16 May 2005 in Bayelsa State.

File photo of a female health official vaccinating a child

How false vaccination rumour caused panic across Nigeria

byNike Adebowale
October 14, 2017
3 min read

Hundred of parents on Monday rushed to withdraw their children from public primary schools in Damaturu, Yobe State, following a rumour that an unusual injection was being administered on school children.

According to the rumour, a non-governmental organisation was administering the injection on the heads of male and navel of female pupils in public primary schools in the town.

The resulting panic forced schools in the Yobe State capital, Damaturu, to shut down.

However, the state government refuted the rumour and the schools resumed the following day.

Bello Kawuwa, Yobe Commissioner for Health, said at a press briefing that things calmed down after parents were persuaded that the rumour was unfounded.

“There was no such incident in any location in Damaturu or any other part of the state.

“There is no non-governmental organisation in charge of vaccination; it is the state Primary Health Care Management Agency that is the sole custodian of vaccination,” he said to reassure the public on the development.

However, the panic was not peculiar to Yobe State. Two days later on Wednesday, a similar rumour in Anambra state led anxious parents to withdraw their wards and disrupt school activities.

The rumour in Anambra claimed that some students died after being forcefully injected with a vaccine by Nigerian Army personnel.The rumour spread to neighbouring states in the South-east of Nigeria and created panic across the region.

It also reached the South-south region such that the Bayelsa State Government on Friday had to announce a ban on all forms of medical outreach programme in public and private schools throughout the state to calm anxious parents.

The decision, according to the state Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Daniel Iworiso-Markson, at a joint press briefing with his Health Commissioner, Ebitimitula Etebu, was sequel to the scare of a purported injection being given to students against the viral ‘monkeypox’ disease.

He said the government would monitor the situation and ensure strict compliance with the ban, while urging the management of schools to closely monitor visitors.

It later emerged that the cause of the panic in the various regions was the recent outbreak of Monkeypox virus in Bayelsa state capital.

About two weeks ago, the first index case of the rare viral zoonotic disease was reported at Agbura, a rural settlement near Yenagoa.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that the number of suspected cases in Bayelsa later reached 13. Three suspected cases were later reported in Rivers State. Samples from the suspected victims were later sent to the World Health Organisation, WHO laboratory in Dakar, Senegal for testing.

The national coordinator, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, Chikwe Ihekweazu, said that results of the laboratory tests would be out on Friday.

NCDC said in Abuja that 31 suspected cases of the monkeypox virus had been recorded in seven states.

They include Bayelsa, Rivers, Ekiti, Akwa Ibom, Lagos, Ogun and Cross River states.

Meanwhile, the monkeypox virus have no vaccination and nobody have been able to trace the source of the rumour.

However, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, NPHCDA, who are in charge of vaccination in Nigeria, has stated clearly, that there is no such vaccination that is harmful to any child in Nigeria.

Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja on Friday, the Director for disease control and immunization, NPHCDA, Dorothy Iwodo said that the widespread rumor of vaccination against monkeypox is false, malicious, unpatriotic, and misleading the public.

She said that the federal government was concerned about the wellbeing of Nigerians, most importantly children and have their best interest at heart.

She said: “Attention of the Federal Government has just been drawn to rumors circulating in parts of the South East concerning vaccination perceived to be harmful to children.

“The Federal Government wishes to state clearly that there is no such vaccination in any part of the country that is harmful to any child in Nigeria.

“Most importantly, the Federal Government wishes to re-assure all parents, guardians and care-givers of globally confirmed safety, potency and effectiveness of all antigens in the National Immunization Schedule against vaccines preventable diseases in the country and the vaccination is free in all public health institutions,” she said.

She added that the annual budgetary allocation, release and cash-backing of huge resources for the provision of safe and potent vaccines was a practical manifestation of government’s commitment to the safety, growth and survival of Nigerian children.

While commending major development partners for their support and commitment on immunization, Mrs. Iwodo urged those peddling the “unpatriotic, malicious and misleading information” to desist from inglorious acts and turn a new leaf in support of their country and fellow countrymen and women.

  • WhatsApp
  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Print
  • Telegram
  • More
  • Share on Tumblr
  • Pocket


CITIZEN-FM AD


Support PREMIUM TIMES' journalism of integrity and credibility

Good journalism costs a lot of money. Yet only good journalism can ensure the possibility of a good society, an accountable democracy, and a transparent government.

For continued free access to the best investigative journalism in the country we ask you to consider making a modest support to this noble endeavour.

By contributing to PREMIUM TIMES, you are helping to sustain a journalism of relevance and ensuring it remains free and available to all.

Donate


TEXT AD: Call Willie - +2348098788999






PT Mag Campaign AD

Previous Post

Osinbajo celebrates Pastors Adeboye, Olukoya as UNILAG’s ‘firsts’

Next Post

Nigeria’s security agencies are poorly funded — Dogara

Nike Adebowale

Nike Adebowale

Nike Adebowale covers the health beat.  She holds a degree from Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti. Twitter: @nikeadebowale1 

More News

APC and PDP

PDP members defect to APC in Lagos

July 1, 2022
Nigerian Police Officer

Police arrest suspected internet fraudster in Ogun

July 1, 2022
The Lagos State government officials during the bored piling ceremony of the Opebi-Ojota Link Bridge on Friday, July 1, 2022.

Opebi-Ojota Link Bridge ready in 2023 – Lagos govt

July 1, 2022
Impounded okadas by Lagos State TaskForce

Okada Ban: Lagos Task Force impounds 55 motorcycles, arrests defaulters

July 1, 2022
8:25am Ileoluji/Oke-Igbo (Ondo South Sen. District) Ward 4, PU 003 (Temidire North). Electorates are queue waiting for the commencement of voting exercise. All is set at one of the PUs in the LGA with highest voters. Five NSCDC and three police officers are manning this particular PU.

Osun Governorship: 1.9 million registered residents eligible to vote – INEC

July 1, 2022
Lekki seaport [Photo Credit: Lekki Port]

First vessel berths at Lekki deep seaport

July 1, 2022
Next Post
We’ll make National Assembly budget public in 2017, Dogara pledges

Nigeria's security agencies are poorly funded -- Dogara

LAUTECH

Commissioner 'politicising' Oyo doctor's strike -- Union

Read All Comment

Search

AUN-PT Ad




Access Bank Ad







Subscribe to News via Email

Enter your email address and receive notifications of news by email.

Join 1,902,581 other subscribers.

Advertisement




netherland biz school Advert



ADVERTISEMENT

Our Digital Network

  • PT Hausa
  • Election Centre
  • Human Trafficking Investigation
  • Centre for Investigative Journalism
  • National Conference
  • Press Attack Tracker
  • PT Academy
  • Dubawa
  • LeaksNG
  • Campus Reporter

Resources

  • Oil & Gas Facts
  • List of Universities in Nigeria
  • LIST: Federal Unity Colleges in Nigeria
  • NYSC Orientation Camps in Nigeria
  • Nigeria’s Federal/States’ Budgets since 2005
  • Malabu Scandal Thread
  • World Cup 2018
  • Panama Papers Game
  • Our Digital Network
  • About Us
  • Resources
  • Projects
  • Data & Infographics
  • DONATE

All content is Copyrighted © 2020 The Premium Times, Nigeria

No Result
View All Result
  • #PandoraPapers
  • Gender
  • News
    • Headline Stories
    • Top News
    • More News
    • Foreign
  • Investigations
  • Business
    • News Reports
    • Financial Inclusion
    • Analysis and Data
    • Business Specials
    • Opinion
    • Oil/Gas Reports
      • FAAC Reports
      • Revenue
  • Health
    • COVID-19
    • News Reports
    • Investigations
    • Data and Infographics
    • Health Specials
    • Features
    • Events
    • Primary Health Tracker
  • Agriculture
    • News Report
    • Research & Innovation
    • Data & Infographics
    • Special Reports/Investigations
    • Investigations
    • Interviews
    • Multimedia
  • Arts/Life
    • Arts/Books
    • Kannywood
    • Lifestyle
    • Music
    • Nollywood
    • Travel
  • Sports
    • Football
    • More Sports News
    • Sports Features
  • #EndSARS Dashboard
  • Projects
    • Panama Papers
    • Paradise Papers
    • Parliament Watch
    • AGAHRIN
  • AUN-PT Data Hub
  • Opinion
  • The Membership Club
  • DONATE
  • About Us
  • Advert Rates
  • PT Hausa
  • Dubawa NG
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
  • Digital Store

All content is Copyrighted © 2020 The Premium Times, Nigeria

Our website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.
loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.