4 Feb 2014

Tahiti zika outbreak reaches Japan

4:27 pm on 4 February 2014

There is concern about the spread of the zika virus in the region after a major outbreak in French Polynesia.

People are advised to try to protect themselves against zika which is a disease spread by mosquitoes, similar to dengue and chikungunya.

The Secretariat of the Pacific Community says zika is new to the region and people lack immunity to the virus.

Dr Yvan Souares of the SPC's Public Health Division says zika has spread from French Polynesia.

"We were also made aware recently of a couple of imported cases of zika virus in Japan directly from French Polynesia. That shows that the virus is travelling as expected throughout the region and sometimes widely outside of the Pacific region."

Dr Yvan Souares of the SPC's Public Health Division