North Qld town on Zika mosquito alert

Residents in a north Queensland town have been warned to kill mosquitoes around their homes after a local tested positive for the Zika virus.

Vector-control teams were deployed to Bowen where a resident, the 13th in the state, was diagnosed with Zika following an overseas trip.

The teams found the Zika-carrying mosquito, Aedes aegypti, in multiple areas of the small coastal town.

The infected person was only home for a few days while unwell and is now recovering at Townsville Hospital.

Townsville Public Health Unit director Dr Steven Donohue said while the risk of transmission was low it was important every Bowen household eliminated the mosquitoes.

"I urge residents to get rid of these mosquitoes themselves, including spraying inside and around their homes," he said.

"That way we can avoid a local outbreak."

The Zika virus can be spread if an Aedes aegypti mosquito bites a sick person and then, after about a week, bites another person.

Unborn babies are at the most risk of harm as Zika has been linked to microcephaly, a condition that causes babies to be born with abnormally small heads.

Health authorities are working with the Whitsunday Regional Council to co-ordinate home visits to help with inside sprays and the removal of breeding sites.