A pregnant woman in Spain who had travelled to Colombia has the Zika virus - in what is thought to be the first such case in Europe.

The woman, from Catalunya, was having clinical tests but she was described as being in good health and has not been admitted to hospital.

She was among seven cases of Zika in Spain, said health officials.

The mosquito-borne virus is being blamed for causing brain and head defects in newborn babies.

Colombia is one of a number of South American countries which have been affected by the outbreak.

Brazil has been the worst-hit nation so far.

Since last October, there have been 404 confirmed cases and 3,670 suspected cases of microcephaly, where a baby's head is abnormally small.

The disease was previously thought to have been passed by mosquitos.

But this week came the news in Dallas that a patient had caught the virus after having sex with someone who had returned from Venezuela, where Zika is circulating.

Meanwhile, in Brazil, a person had caught the virus after a blood tranfusion from a donor who had been infected with Zika.