Zika Virus: Nigeria Issues Travel Restrictions To Latin America

The Federal Ministry of Health in Nigeria has issued a travel restriction to Latin America, especially by pregnant women until the Zika Virus outbreak situation improves. In a statement by the Ministry on Friday, the Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Adewole, assured Nigerians that there was no case of the Zika Virus in the country. The Minister, however, directed the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control to include Zika Virus diagnosis as part of the ongoing efforts to manage Lassa fever outbreak. The World Health Organization has raised a global alert because the disease has spread in Brazil and 22 countries in the Americas. The Zika Virus disease is transmitted through the bite of a particular mosquito known as Aedes Aegypti with symptoms such as mild fever, rash, joint pain and red eye. If the virus gets into a pregnant woman, it can cause birth defects in the unborn baby. At the moment, there is no cure or vaccine for the virus. Nigeria is currently trying to contain Lassa Fever that has claimed over 40 lives across the country, with the latest deaths occurring in Lagos and Ebonyi States. The disease is an acute and often fatal viral disease, with fever and usually acquired from infected rats.