The first sexually transmitted Zika case has been confirmed in Canada

An Ontario resident is Canada's first confirmed case of a Zika virus infection that was contracted locally through sex, health officials said on Monday.

The individual, who was not further identified, is believed to have contracted the virus from a sexual partner who came down with Zika after traveling to an affected country, according to a statement from Public Health Agency of Canada and Ontario's Ministry of Health.

Zika is transmitted to people mainly through the bite of certain infected female mosquitoes, and a major outbreak that began in Brazil last year has spread to many countries in the Americas.