Zika virus mosquitoes found in Sydney airport after two NSW residents infected
Sydney International Airport has increased insecticide spraying of passengers after detecting mosquitoes capable of carrying the deadly Zika virus.
A Department of Agriculture spokesperson said the risk of a transmitted virus was ‘extremely low’, the Daily Telegraph reported.
The insects were believed to be found within the confines of the airport.
The find comes after two NSW residents were reportedly infected with the virus.
The residents had recently travelled in the Caribbean before heading back to Sydney, Fairfax Media reports.
"It is very unlikely that Zika virus established local transmission in NSW as the mosquitoes that spread the infection are not established here - although they are found in some parts of north Queensland," NSW Health's director of communicable diseases, Dr Vicky Sheppeard, said.
The health department said the residents had mild cases of the virus and have since recovered.
On Monday, The World Health Organization declared the outbreak an international emergency and said it had created a global Zika response unit to contain the virus.
Zika, which was first identified in Uganda, causes relatively mild flu-like symptoms and a rash.
It has been blamed for a surge in the number of brain-damaged babies, and experts say developing a vaccine could take years.
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