Little risk of severe complications associated with Zika infection in New Zealand

Abstract

Zika virus infection has raised considerable concern in New Zealand, but the risks faced by most New Zealanders, while real, are quite small as New Zealand does not harbor the primary mosquito vector. Furthermore, in individuals with a competent immune system, the acute illness caused by Zika virus infection is generally mild. Serious complication associated with Zika virus infections include microcephaly and Guillain-Barré Syndrome. Pacific Island countries have reported cases of Zika virus infection and these climates support the mosquito vector. Thus, travelers to these areas are at risk of infection. New Zealand travelers returning from endemic areas have developed the illness associated with the virus, but the probability of autochthonous transmission in New Zealand is very small.