Jigjiga(Mogadishu24)-Authorities in the Somali State of Ethiopia have on Sunday denied reports of Mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) cases in the cities of Qabribayah and Fafan.

Officials clarified that recent concerns involved one family of six and two other individuals who were diagnosed with chickenpox and milk sickness, not Mpox. All patients have received treatment.

The government has urged those spreading false information to refrain from creating unnecessary public panic. This denial follows a similar statement from Djibouti’s Ministry of Health four days ago, which also confirmed that there are no confirmed cases of Mpox in Djibouti.

Mpox, a viral disease originating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1970, spreads through close contact and occasionally via contaminated objects and surfaces.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has noted that the disease has been neglected in some regions despite its potential severity.