The NSW Health Department has confirmed two cases of Zika virus in Australia. The confirmation made on Friday was of NSW residents who were passengers travelling from the Caribbean back to Sydney.  
"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," Vicky Sheppeard, director of communicable diseases, said. The department advises women who are, or could be, pregnant to consider delaying their travel to regions where there are active Zika virus outbreaks, including parts of South and Central America, Mexico, the Caribbean, Samoa and Tonga. In 2014 there were four cases of Zika virus diagnosed in NSW from people who had travelled from the Cook Islands and one confirmed case in 2015 from a traveller from the Solomon Islands. The department said there were no other cases at this time. Zika has risen to international notoriety during its march through the Americas over the past six months because of its possible links to neurological birth defects. The World Health Organisation declared the mosquito-borne virus an international health emergency on Tuesday, with fears that it could affect up to 4 million people. Brazil has reported nearly 4000 cases of microcephaly, a condition where the baby is born with a small head and reduced brain function. The link between Zika and microcephaly has not been proved, but there is strong epidemiological evidence that the virus is responsible.