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Recently, the news media in Nigeria were awash with reports on the outbreak of Zika virus. The disease, according to reports , first erupted in 1947 in the Zika forest in Uganda.
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The current outbreak began in Brazil in may 2015 and has since spread to 22 other countries in North and South America, plus Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. No one knows how Zika got to Brazil in the first place, but Reuters reports that the Brazilian government thinks a traveler to the World Cup may have brought it into the country in 2014.
The CDC confirmed a case of sexually transmitted Zika in Dallas, Texas in which a person spread the virus to a sexual partner. Prior to this, it was suspected that Zika could be sexually transmitted.
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The outbreak, is spread to people through mosquito bites. The most common symptoms of Zika virus disease are fever, joint pain, rash and red eyes. The illness is usually mild with symptoms lasting from several days to a week. Other common symptoms include muscle pain and headache.
When Nigerians, especially those in the rural areas, have no access to rest enough and still dispose their wastes in unsanitary ways, we cannot but continue to have mosquitoes, rats, flies etc. which may led to an increase risk of outbreak of viruses.
The ministry of health actually hit the bulls eye when it identified bites of mosquitoes as one of the major causes of Zika virus and spread of the disease. The challenge before the government is to ensure that all Nigerians, irrespective of where they live, have access to mosquito nets and safe clean water. This is because what puts people at risk of Zika virus basically is lack of drinking safe plenty water and exposure to infected mosquitoes i.e. aedes.
In the future, when this type of outbreak occurs, the health ministry and the ministry of information should make good use of the mass media to inform and educate the nation on what to do. This will entail giving information to the populace on the symptoms of the disease, first aid and treatment options. This will help reduce the number of deaths from an outbreak.
UMARU YAKUBU KIRAWA
DEPARTMENT OF MASS COMMUNICATION
UNIVERSITY OF MAIDUGURI
300 LEVEL
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