"Zika virus infection cases have not been registered in Russia. Some cases may emerge related to tourist visits to countries that have been hit by the outbreak," ministry's spokesman Oleg Salagay told RIA Novosti.
"Those cases, though, do no pose the threat of an epidemic because the main transmitter of the virus is a special species of mosquitoes that cannot inhabit most of the Russian territory," Salagay stressed.
Health Minister Veronika Skvortsova announced late last month that Russia was developing anti-Zika vaccines.
The Zika virus is transmitted by mosquitos active in daytime. It does not cause serious complications in adults, but is suspected of leading to severe brain defects and microcephaly cases in newborns.
The Zika outbreak originated in Brazil in the spring of 2015, spread across Latin America and gained widespread media attention as confirmations of first cases emerged in Europe and the United States in recent weeks.
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a public health emergency last week after the virus spread across dozens of countries and first cases of Zika’s sexual transmission emerged.
