Kampala — MTN Uganda has disowned short messages (sms) sent last week to mobile phone owners warning them about the out-break of swine flu.

The message advised Ugandans against eating pork or getting near pigs.

The first case, according to the message, was reported in the Kampala suburbs of Ggaba and Nakulabye.

The unknown source, purporting to be the health ministry, urged recipients to forward the message to 25 other people.

"We disown the message. We have asked our subscribers and the ministry to ignore the messages," said Sheila Kangwagye, MTN Uganda's spokesperson.

Kangwagye said MTN was tracing the source and that they would pass on the information to the ministry.

The ministry recently disowned the message and called for calm.

"We contacted MTN and they said the messages were sent in the form of a virus with no single platform," the acting director general of health services, Dr. Nathan Mugisha, explained yesterday.