SEOUL • South Korea reported its first confirmed case of the Zika virus yesterday in a 43-year-old male who had travelled to Brazil, its centre for disease control said.

The patient, who returned home on March 11, has been treated at a hospital in Gwangju, some 329km south of Seoul, Yonhap news agency said yesterday.

An official from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said that the man does not need to be isolated as he is now on a full recovery track.

"He no longer needs to be quarantined, but we will closely watch his condition and carry out a thorough examination on him," said the official. "We will also check his wife in order to prevent any further infection."

The official said the government will step up monitoring of mosquitoes that can spread the virus and strengthen disinfection operations to remove breeding habitats.

Bangladesh yesterday also confirmed its first case of the Zika virus in an old sample of blood from a 67-year-old man who had not been overseas.

The man lives in the south-eastern port city of Chittagong and was well, said junior health minister Zahid Maleque. None of his relatives tested positive.

The Zika outbreak is affecting large parts of Latin America and the Caribbean, with Brazil the hardest hit.

Some cases have also been found in Asia.

REUTERS