The first confirmed case of the Zika virus transmitted through sex in Canada has been confirmed in Ontario.

The Public Health Agency says a resident is believed to have caught it from a sexual partner who’d gone to a Zika-affected country.

While the virus is primarily transmitted through the bite of an infected mosquito, a growing number of cases in the world have occurred through sexual transmission.

There are 55 other cases of Zika among Canadians who all picked it up travelling to regions where it’s spreading, including South and Central America, parts of Mexico and the Caribbean.

PHAC advises travellers returning from those areas and their partners need to take precautions to protect themselves.

There are no confirmed cases of Zika acquired locally through mosquitoes and the risk remains low as those that transmit the virus are not established in this country