SEOUL - The first case of the Zika virus was detected in South Korea, Yonhap news agency reported on Tuesday citing the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

A 43-year-old man, who had made a business trip to Brazil between Feb 17 and March 11, was tested positive for the mosquito-borne virus earlier in the morning, according to the CDC.

The patient began developing fever and muscle ache from March 16.

Zika is known as a virus that spreads through bites from a specific mosquito. It is particularly risky for pregnant women as the virus is thought to be linked to a rare birth defect, microcephaly.

The microcephaly causes newborn babies to have unusually small, damaged brain.