Several Australian Federal Police officers have contracted Zika virus – the subject of a global health emergency – while on deployment overseas including in the Solomon Islands to Australia's north.

A spokeswoman for the force told Fairfax Media that the cases had happened before this year. The officers were treated and do not appear to be showing any lasting effects of the mosquito-borne virus, which is currently the subject of a World Health Organisation-declared emergency after being linked to birth defects.

But the revelations underscore the proximity of the virus to Australia and the risk it has posed to Australians. The AFP currently has 80 officers deployed to the Solomons, including 14 women, as part of a regional assistance mission.