By Asmau Ahmad
The Director-General, Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR), Yaba, Professor Babatunde Salako, has urged government at all levels to improve on Zika virus surveillance system and strategies.
Professor Salako told the newsmen in Lagos that eradication of Zika virus was possible, if they could survey mosquito vector and monitor people’s movements.
“As long as people still travel to different countries that have Zika virus, no country is safe. Correctly, timely and accurate Zika virus identification is important in surveillance; this will help in early detection of the virus and prevent transmission.
“It is important for us to improve on awareness; the surveillance system needs to be expanded or integrated with our extended programme on Zika virus. Although no index case of Zika virus has been reported in Nigeria at present, but you never can tell since the vector of the virus is still circulating in Nigeria,” he said.
Salako urged the Federal and State Ministries of Health to fund health researches to generate information that would serve as evidence for informed decision-making in policy formulation and implementation.
Also, an entomologist, Dr Samuel Awolola, urged the governments to identify areas of high risk and put vector surveillance measures in place.
Awolola, who is also NIMR coordinator of Malaria Research Programme, said that there was the need to be aware of possible local transmission in areas where Aedes mosquitoes were more active.
Awolola advised people not to practice self-medication, saying that every illness must be diagnosed before treatment.
He said that one of the symptoms of Zika virus was high fever which occurs a few days after infection of a person.
According to him, other symptoms of Zika virus include: skin rash, joint pain, malaise, headache and conjunctivitis when mild and they last for between two and seven years.
