Two cases of Zika virus have been diagnosed in Queensland, Australia. However, health authorities there will intensify testing for the virus because it is carried by Aedes mosquitoes, which are found in that state.
Both cases of the virus, which has been linked to serious birth defects, occurred in travelers and were not contracted in Australia. Two residents of Sydney were diagnosed with Zika virus after returning from Haiti and became the first confirmed cases of the disease in Australia this year. A West Australian resident has also tested positive after travel to Central America.
Queensland has set aside A$400,000 ($283,000 in US dollars) to increase laboratories. Testing will begin in Townsville, in the northeast of Queensland, on March 1. Money has also been earmarked for a public education campaign in Queensland
The state is on alert for any entry of Zika virus because the disease is present in Australia's Asian and Pacific neighbors. Ten cases of Zika have been reported in Queensland in the past two years. The state must be prepared for more cases of Zika, said Queensland Health Minister Cameron Dick.
"At this stage, Zika is not in any mosquitoes in Queensland that we're aware of," Dick said at a news conference.
Aedes mosquitoes, most commonly Aedes aegypti, are present in north Queensland. This is also the species that can transmit dengue fever.
Zika virus has been present in Asia and the Pacific area for some time. It has only been diagnosed in South and Central American for the past several months. Zika has been linked in Brazil to thousands of cases of a birth defect called microcephaly, where the skull and brain are underdeveloped. The link has not been proven, but is considered to be strong enough that countries in Central and South America are warning women to delay pregnancies.
The World Health Organization has declared Zika an international public health emergency. There is no vaccine available to combat the virus.
