Eighth ZIKV Case Confirmed in Australia

ZIKV infected man staying in area infested with Aedes aegypti mosquitoes

Authorities are on high alert in Queensland, Australia after the eighth person in the country contracted Zika virus.

A Rockhampton man has become the eighth Queenslander to be diagnosed with Zika virus, but is the first to have brought it back to an area inhabited by the type of mosquito that could spread it.

Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, the main Zika vector, have been found around the hotel in Rockhampton where the infected patient is staying, prompting the health alert.

“This is the most concerning case of Zika so far in Queensland because it’s someone who has the virus in an area where there is the mosquito capable of transmitting the virus,” said Queensland Health Minister.

Authorities are now spraying chemicals designed to kill mosquitoes in a 200-meter radius of the hotel, said a report.

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