The Secretary of State of the northern Mozambican province of Nampula said Thursday that information about the occurrence of cases of monkeypox infection in that part of the country was false.

Mety Gondola clarified that when the government authorities became aware of the possible case, they sent a health team to investigate the situation.

"From the work done, preliminary results indicate to us that this is not smallpox," he said.

Medical examinations performed on the individual, who looked to be over thirty-five years old, indicated that it was chickenpox.

Met Gondola assured that the deployed team is working in the field under the leadership of the National Institute of Health.

Information about the occurrence of monkeypox, which is ravaging Europe, circulated on social media this week.

Most cases of monkey pox on the European continent have been identified in men who have sex with men. Therefore, the World Health Organization came, this Wednesday, to appeal to this social group to reduce the number of partners to prevent the uncontrolled spread of the disease, without, however, claiming that the disease attacks only a single social group.