Five people in Germany have Zika virus infections, having visited Latin America and the Caribbean in recent months, German health officials say.
Zika is thought to cause a form of infant brain damage, microcephaly.
Brazil is the country worst affected by the Zika outbreak, with 270 cases of microcephaly confirmed by the health ministry and 3,448 being investigated.
German virologists say the type of mosquito that carries Zika – Aedes aegypti – does not exist in Germany.
The mosquito is known to be spreading through Latin America and the Caribbean.
The German health ministry said a patient in Bavaria “spent some time on the island of Martinique in early January, but has got better since then”.
Three to four million people could be infected with Zika in the Americas this year, experts have warned.
Some experts are concerned that another mosquito – Aedes albopictus – might spread Zika, and that species does inhabit parts of southern Europe.
Concerns have arisen about Brazil’s ability to safely host this year’s Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Thomas Bach, the head of the International Olympic Committee, has said steps are being taken to protect the event.
The IOC said it would issue guidelines later on Friday for athletes and visitors taking part, reports the BBC.
A group of Brazilian lawyers, activists and scientists is to ask the country’s supreme court to allow abortions for women who have contracted the virus.
Abortions are illegal in Brazil, except in health emergencies or cases of rape or, since 2012, another brain condition known as anencephaly.
