SAO PAULO -- Government ministers, state governors, health agents and members of the armed forces are visiting schools throughout Brazil to involve students in the nationwide campaign to eradicate the Aedes aegypti mosquito that spreads the Zika virus.
The Health Ministry says on its website that schools in Brasilia, in the country's 26 state capitals and in 115 cities will be visited on Friday.
The ministry says that the objective is to raise awareness of the importance of eliminating the breeding ground of the mosquito that also transmits dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever.
Many health officials believe Zika is linked to severe birth defects.
The Education Ministry says nearly 190,000 basic education schools, universities and vocational training centres are being visited.
