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Pregnant Vic woman diagnosed with Zika

A pregnant woman in Victoria has been diagnosed with the Zika virus, state Health Minister Jill Hennessy confirms.

Ms Hennessy said there was no risk to the public as the virus was not transmitted person to person, and was not present in Australian mosquitoes.

The woman was diagnosed this week after recently returning from a country where the virus was prevalent.

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“My primary concern today is not about a public health risk but a woman who is dealing with the anxiety of receiving news that is incredibly concerning,” Ms Hennessy said on Friday morning.

“That’s why the department is doing absolutely everything they can to ensure that this woman receives all of the support and the care that she needs during this extremely difficult period.”

The news came as a pregnant Queensland woman tested positive for the mosquito-borne virus in the state’s south-east on Tuesday.

The diagnosis arrives as authorities brace for a local outbreak of the virus.

Zika has surged through Latin America and has been linked to birth defects in children in the region.

Australian Federal Police officers deployed overseas had also contracted the virus, but there have been no recorded cases among them in 2016.

Ms Hennessy urged everyone to “get access to good quality information” before travelling to countries where there was a Zika prevalence.

“We are advising all people, but especially pregnant women, or women who may be in trying or intending to get pregnant, to avoid travelling to those countries and places where there has been Zika outbreaks,” she said.

More to come.

with ABC

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