BREAKING NEWS: Two suspect cases of the Zika virus are currently being investigated by the HSE here, RTE is reporting tonight.
One case is in a male and the other in an older woman.
The cases are unrelated and it is believed that both people recently returned to Ireland from abroad, said the broadcaster.
The virus is NOT contagious.
Zika, which has been blamed for a surge in birth defects in Central and South America, is “spreading explosively”, the World Health Organisation has said.
The WHO says the virus could infect as many as four million people in the Americas.
The Department of Foreign Affairs last week issued travel advisories for pregnant women involving 19 central and southern American states – following an outbreak of the virus that can lead to birth defects.