Zika virus (ZIKV) infection during pregnancy can cause infants to be born with microcephaly and other congenital malformations.
Infection is also associated with other complications of pregnancy including preterm birth and miscarriage and an increased risk of neurologic complications including Guillain-Barré syndrome, neuropathy and myelitis.
Zika virus is primarily transmitted through the bite of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes but may also be transmitted sexually, from human to human. It may also be passed from mother to child during pregnancy.
Imported cases are detected in Australia each year in travelers returning home from overseas, but there has not yet been any local transmission.
The vast majority of Zika cases in adults are asymptomatic but where infection is reported, its symptoms appear similar to mild dengue.
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