Carried by mosquitoes, this disease with no symptoms is devastating

ZIKA is spread by bites of Aedes mosquitoes and in pregnancy they can cause microcephaly – a small head – in babies. Thousands of people have been hit since a major outbreak in Brazil in 2015, which spread to Central America, and parts of Asia and Africa. By this February, some 86 countries, including Fiji and Tonga, had reported cases.

The infection, which has no treatment, usually presents no

symptoms or causes a brief illness, though it has been linked in rare cases with neurological problems, known as Guillain-Barre syndrome.

US Center for Disease Control and Prevention figures show five to 10% of women who caught Zika while pregnant reported birth defects, with the risk highest in the first three months, at eight to 15%.

One Zika case was confirmed in Fiji in 2017, with none this year, its Ministry of Health said.

Prof Adam Kucharski of London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine said Fiji and Tonga had “some risk but not high risk”.

Prof Annelies Wilder-Smith of ZikaPlan urged measures including insect repellent and long-sleeved clothing.