mosquitoes are more active, the Federal Government has been urged to institute proper vector control and effective surveillance throughout the Federation. Making the call during a special presentation on Zika virus in Lagos, Director General of the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, NIMR, Professor Innocent Ujah, said though a serological study carried out on Nigeria showed that 40 percent of the urban population had neutralising antibodies to Zika virus, there was need for an informed policy to combat any outbreak. According to Ujah: “The virus is contracted from Aedes aegypty mosquitoes and there is need for Nigerians to maintain healthy environment, personal hygiene and sleep on insecticide treated mosquito nets.” Our environment must be clean to reduce possible transmission that probably would occur. This is a call for us to sanitize our environment and ensure reduction of mosquito breeding sites, by draining or discarding sources of standing water.” Corroborating his views, an Entomologist with NIMR, Dr. Sam Awolola, who noted that that there is possible local transmission in areas where Aedes mosquitoes are more active said disease surveillance should also include informing women of reproductive age about the risk of travelling to areas with such outbreak and evaluating those who travelled to such places while pregnant.
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