The Kwara state Commissioner for Health, Alhaji Sulaiman Atolagbe Alege, has called on Nigerians to always inculcate personal hygiene and keep their environments clean to avert outbreak of Zika fever.

Alege who spoke with journalists in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital said Zika virus is transmitted by mosquitoes mostly active during the day, for which reason people need to take proactive measures to prevent mosquito bite throughout the day.

He said although the disease was not yet in Nigeria, people traveling outside the country would need to keep off the infected areas for now. He urged people not to panic about the virus but to maintain personal hygiene always.

Also speaking, the state Epidemiologist, Dr. Oguntoye Michael said Zika fever is caused by a member of the genus flavivirus similar to dengue fever.

He said cases of Zika fever had previously been reported in Africa, Southern Asia and Latin America, and that the outbreaks have occurred throughout the tropical and sub-tropical areas of the western hemisphere.