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More Zika virus victims expected in Qld

Authorities in Queensland are warning more people could be diagnosed with Zika virus as detection services are increased.

 Aedes aegypti mosquitoes
Aedes aegypti mosquitoes Source: AAP

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Source: AAP


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A child is one of two people who have tested positive for Zika virus in 24 hours in southeast Queensland as experts warn more cases are likely.

The child was diagnosed at a Brisbane hospital after returning from a family trip to Samoa, while tests at a Gold Coast hospital confirmed a woman, who first fell ill in December after returning from El Salvador in Central America, also had the virus.

Queensland chief health officer Dr Jeanette Young says southeast Queensland isn't at risk despite the two confirmed cases.

"I'm very confident the two people we've just confirmed ... are no risk to anyone," she said.

But authorities said they expect more people to be diagnosed with Zika virus as further detection systems are rolled out.

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Those who are infected are instructed not to travel to north Queensland, where the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in that area could bite them and begin transmitting the virus locally.

Zika virus most often only causes a mild illness, though it has been linked to microcephaly, a neurological disorder in which infants are born with undersized heads.


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