LOS ANGELES:

A spokeswoman for Madonna on October 4 denied claims by officials in the African nation of Malawi that the pop star had adopted a one-year-old orphan boy there.

Spokeswoman Liz Rosenberg called the report “completely inaccurate” but said Madonna was not bothered by it because it would draw attention to the problems of children in the impoverished African nation.

Rosenberg, said Madonna was visiting orphanages in Malawi this week as part of a charitable program to provide care for an estimated 1 million children who are without parents in the southern African nation, many of them suffering from AIDS.

“She has not adopted a child,” Rosenberg said. “She went on a private visit to Malawi ... to participate in the building of an orphanage and several other initiatives that are all under the auspices of an organization called Raising Malawi.”

Rosenberg said there was no truth to statements from the Malawian government that Madonna had chosen to adopt a year-old boy from among 12 children specially selected prior to her arrival in Lilongwe.