Australian virologists believe that the mosquito-borne Zika virus has already been brought into Australia via travellers returning from South America.
Zika virus has been linked to brain damage in thousands of babies in Brazil and the World Health Organisation warn that the incurable virus is now likely to spread to all countries in South, Central and North America except Canada and Chile.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) has issued new advice warning Australians, particularly pregnant women, to reconsider plans to travel to 22 countries affected by the virus, including many in South and Central America, and the Pacific island nation Samoa.
This advice has been backed by Professor Dominic Dwyer, a virologist from Sydney’s Westmead Hospital.
“The outbreaks can be so rapid and so large, that if you travel into that sort of outbreak scenario, then there is a reasonably high risk you could get infected. So I think if you were pregnant, it would be foolish to go there at this stage, until we know a little bit more about what is going on,” he told the ABC.
Professor Dwyer, notes that while the virus has been found in Australia, scientists don’t know if Australian mosquitoes could carry the virus and cause it to spread.
“There have been some people who have come back to Australia who’ve had Zika virus infection. But what we haven’t had is evidence of the spread of the infection from one person to another in this country.
“The main mosquito carriers of the virus are not present to any great degree in Australia, except perhaps up in the top end of Queensland. But we’re not entirely sure yet whether some of the Australian mosquitoes could carry Zika virus.
“So I think there’s a bit more work to be done to sort that out.”
Professor Dwyer says that the risk to Australia should be taken seriously.
“I think it’s a question of being alert but not alarmed,” he said.
