13 Apr 2016

Two more Zika cases reported in NZ

8:04 pm on 13 April 2016

Two more cases of Zika have been reported in New Zealand in the last week, with one thought to have been contracted in Venezuela.

The latest Institute of Environmental and Scientific Research figures show two women have been confirmed with the virus, which has been linked to the severe birth defect microcephaly and other illnesses.

It's the first report in New Zealand of infection in South America, with nearly all the other cases here coming from Pacific Islands.

Eighty-five people have been treated here for the disease this year.

Meanwhile, new research has revealed the outbreak in South America came from the Pacific Islands.

The study - published in the international journal, Public Library of Science Neglected Tropical Diseases - suggests the virus arrived with Pacific Island canoeing teams competing in Rio de Janeiro in 2014.