Second pregnant Australian woman tests positive for Zika virus

A pregnant woman in Australia has tested positive for the Zika virus after traveling overseas. It's the second such case this week.

Victoria state Health Minister Jill Hennessy told reporters on Friday that the woman was diagnosed with Zika after returning from a country where the mosquito-borne virus is prevalent. She declined to provide any other details about the case, including where the woman had traveled, citing .

Earlier this week, a in Queensland state was also diagnosed with Zika after traveling abroad.

Experts say the risk of Zika spreading across Australia is extremely low. The type of mosquito that carries the virus only lives in the far northeast corner of the country, which is sparsely populated.

© 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Citation: Second pregnant Australian woman tests positive for Zika virus (2016, February 11) retrieved 17 May 2024 from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-02-pregnant-australian-woman-positive-zika.html
This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.

Explore further

Pregnant woman diagnosed with Zika in Australia

2 shares

Feedback to editors