Academic activities in primary and secondary schools in Enugu State were brought to a standstill on Wednesday by the mass withdrawal of children by their parents over rumours that the monkey pox virus had spread to the state.

At some of the schools visited byNews Express, there was exodus of teachers, pupils, students as parents and guardians besieged the premises to pick their children and wards.

The schools included Ogui Road Primary School, Alma Rose Private Primary School, Queens' Girls’ Secondary School and WDC Primary School, all in Enugu, the state capital.

Residents said there were tension following news in the social media that a case had been recorded in one of the health institutions in the state capital.

The report claimed that the victims had been transferred to Enugu State University Teaching Hospital, Parklane for further treatment.

The commissioner for health, Dr. Fintan Ekochin, who had on Tuesday confirmed the outbreak of the virus, had collected and sent out a sample to the NCDC, but at last denied his earlier stand.

“There is no outbreak of monkey pox in Enugu State; not at all. Nothing has occurred, the Enugu State Ministry of Health has a surveillance team distributed across the 17 local governments whose job is to look out for diseases and they are on duty every day.”