Health officials have confirmed a Vancouver Island resident has tested positive for the Zika virus.

Island Health confirmed the case but declined to provide any other details because of privacy concerns.

It's the first case of Zika virus to be detected on Vancouver Island.

It’s unclear whether the patient is one of two pregnant women in B.C. who were being monitored for the disease, which has been linked to birth defects.

The B.C. Centre for Disease Control said seven British Columbians have tested positive for Zika out of 635 residents who were tested in recent months.

The virus isn’t expected to become a major problem in B.C., but those travelling to areas where mosquitoes transmit it – South America, Latin America and the Caribbean – are advised to take precautions.

Zika can also be transmitted sexually, according to the BCCDC.

The virus experienced a massive outbreak last year in Brazil and doctors have reported babies being born with unusually small heads, a condition called microcephaly.

The U.S. Centres for Disease Control said Zika can cause a severe form of the condition that leads to serious underlying brain damage.