Public Health England has advised pregnant women to scrap non-essential trips to Florida, United States, after the country's first cases of the Zika virus not linked to travel have been discovered.

Australian team boss Kitty Chiller confirmed on Monday a laptop and some Zika-protective shirts were stolen during a fire evacuation on Friday when a blaze was sparked by a cigarette.

From furious protests over government corruption to the Zika epidemic, the road to Rio has been beset with problems, but locals have said visitors can expect a warm welcome.

Public Health England advised pregnant tourists to cancel non-essential travel to Florida and said men and women should abstain from sex without a condom while they are on holiday.

While Zika is in the spotlight, there are other bugs and health problems that Olympic athletes and spectators should keep in mind. Here's look at what athletes and travelers can do about them.

Health officials said all 15 are within the same one-mile region of Miami, just in-land of the beach.

The 'killer' gene, that could dramatically alter the course of the Zika virus in America, shortens the life of the insects' young and should make the population crash, halting the spread of the disease.

American goalkeeper Hope Solo was heavily booed during Team USA's opening soccer match in the Rio Olympics.

Ryan Seacrest arrived in Rio de Janeiro just days ago as he is set to host Friday's Olympic opening ceremony.

Brazil should have seen thousands more babies born with shrunken skulls. But all of these cases are restricted to a northern region of the country. It suggests Zika alone may not cause birth defects.

The athletes who have decided to attend may be competing under the arms of Christ the Redeemer, but it’s hard to find one redeeming feature to the Olympic Games in Rio, writes KATIE HOPKINS.

Herbalists and witch doctors in Rio de Janeiro say star athletes who skipped this year's Olympic Games shouldn't have worried about contracting Zika while in Brazil.

The patient, who has not been identified, was tested as one of the 26 close contacts around the two original cases. It means there are now 16 local transmissions of Zika in Miami, Florida.

Normally, two thirds of US citizens oppose abortions after 24 weeks. But a Harvard poll has found that 59 per cent favor abortions of Zika-infected babies at any stage of the pregnancy.

More than 90 people have contracted the infection in just one month - a staggering figure for the 1.4 million-strong state in such a short amount of time. Hawaii is also battling Zika.

Fearing the worst during an outbreak of Zika virus, pregnant Emily was banned from travelling to the US with the rest of the family as Peter went abroad with Princess and Junior.

An Australian photographer in Rio covering the 2016 Olympic Games has become the latest robbery victim with $40,000 of camera gear stolen in a sting led by a woman.

Torrential rain and high winds became the latest misfortune to hit the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, with rowing events canceled and other athletes including cyclists forced to cope with the bad weather.

The study by the University of Southern California is the most significant step towards understanding the infection amid widespread confusion about how it inflicts life-threatening conditions in babies.

The condition known as arthrogryposis freezes up joints, often leaving their hands, arms, legs, feet, or fingers frozen in a contorted position. In most cases, it also impairs function of the heart.

The star took to Twitter on Saturday after many were put off by a Snapchat story she shared earlier in which her mom Dianna Hart joked, 'Everybody down in Rio gonna get the Zika virus!'

Taekwondo star Jade, 23, today launches her bid to defend the Gold medal she won at London 2012, supported by her family including grandfather Martin Foulkes.

My family and I were due to fly to Florida on the 27th August but following medical advice we decided we shouldn't go because I'm pregnant. Now Virgin is refusing to refund us.

The billboards - paid for by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation and erected in and around Fort Lauderdale - showed a condom with the words 'Prevents Zika transmission' inside it.

The mosquito-borne infection arrived in the US last month, but has so far been restricted to a few blocks in Wynwood, a neighborhood of Miami-Dade County.

Alice Rowland, 28, from Northampton, attempted to cancel her and 26-year-old partner Jefferson George’s flights to Dominica after her doctor advised her against travelling.

The finding makes clear the need for pesticide programs that kill both adult mosquitoes and their eggs. Current methods are not adequate, warns study co-author Dr Robert Tesh of the University of Texas.

Hermine made landfall in Florida early Friday as a Category 1 hurricane with forecasters warning as much as 20 inches of rain on Thursday.

Tyler Fischer, 29, from New York posed as a broadcast journalist in an elaborate prank in which he claimed the Democrat presidential candidate had withdrawn from the race because of illness.

The sudden onslaught of floods and torrential rain brought by Matthew over the weekend to Florida's east coast has destroyed areas of contained water where the species which carry the disease thrives.

It comes after the intense storms last week, leaving swathes of standing water, which is ideal breeding ground for Zika-carrying Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.

Two British tourists have contracted the Zika virus after travelling to Florida, US, and pregnant women have been advised to cancel all 'non-essential' travel to the American state.

Experts at Washington University School of Medicine in Missouri warn that if the 'dramatic' findings, in mice, apply to humans it could lead to an epidemic of infertility caused by the disease.

The Dept of Commerce says 74m US residents travelled internationally in 2015 - a 9% rise on the previous year. Of those, 33m travelled overseas, with the UK the most popular destination.

TeamGB taekwondo champion Jade Jones kicked her way Olympic history when she won gold to make her the most successful Briton in her sport.

Monroe County residents have backed a proposal to release a lab-developed group of mosquitoes designed to infect the Zika-carrying mosquito population with a fatal disease.

None of the rats tested at Philadelphia's Wistar Institute contracted Zika after getting the vaccine. It is the best result of a Zika vaccine to date, and it is the same being tested in the first human trials.

She was hoping to make a mercy dash to Brazil with her children to see her dying grandmother.

The mosquito-borne virus sparked global panic this year after millions were infected, causing scores of babies to be born with birth defects such as microcephaly.

Tony Gardner said he was bitten by an infected mosquito while shooting scenes for the crime comedy in the islands of Guadeloupe this summer.

Australian swimmer-turned-commentator, Giaan Rooney, has announced she's pregnant with her second child, just months after travelling to Brazil amid the Zika virus concerns

In a new map from St Louis University in Missouri, countries along the Mississippi Delta were found to pose the highest risk for Zika transmission as well as some on the Atlantic coast.

Official data says just 16 Zika-infected babies have been born since the mosquito-born illness swept the Americas last year. However, more than 3,300 pregnant women got the virus in 2016.

The Florida Keys Mosquito Control District released 20,000 male mosquitoes infected by the Kentucky-based company MosquitoMate with naturally occurring Wolbachia bacteria.

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine have found that a malaria drug blocks Zika from infecting the fetus. It is the first sign of a drug that could prevent Zika birth defects.

Gympie Regional Council will go on a three-month hunt from April to inspect all still water sources in a bid to stamp out the potentially lethal insects.

Robert Lewandowski has urged Poland to approach their crunch Euro 2016 game against Germany 'without fear' ‒ although the captain admits their opponents are favourites to win the tournament.

Lukas Podolski was born in Poland but plays for Germany, and Thursday's match between the countries at the European Championship promises to be another emotional experience.

EXCLUSIVE: Poland centre-forward Robert Lewandowski is growing increasingly unsettled at Bayern Munich and would now consider a move to the Premier League.

Polish coach Adam Nawalka doesn't want striker Robert Lewandowski compared to Cristiano Ronaldo as the striker faces Switzerland on Saturday having failed to score at Euro 2016.