A pregnant Australian woman has been diagnosed with Zika virus.

A pregnant woman in southeast Queensland has tested positive to Zika virus after returning from overseas.

Queensland Health confirmed the woman – who was diagnosed yesterday – had returned from overseas, where she contracted the virus, in December, The Guardian reports.

It is the third case of the disease to be identified in the state this year and the first confirmed case in a pregnant woman in Australia since the World Health Organisation declared the virus a public health emergency.

The virus, spread by mosquitoes and rampant in some parts of Latin America, has been linked to birth defects in babies when their mothers contract the disease.

US health officials have warned a vaccine is still years away, the ABC reports.

A woman and a child also in the state’s southeast were diagnosed with Zika virus last week.

All three cases were contracted while the sufferers were overseas.

This is what you need to know about the Zika virus (post continues after video):

The Federal Government has recommended that women who are pregnant or those actively trying to become pregnant should consider postponing travel to areas afflicted with Zika virus.

Pregnant women who have recently travelled to affected areas and have Zika-like symptoms are advised to see a doctor.

*Featured image via Getty.