Bermuda has never had a locally transmitted case of Zika virus. The World Health Organization classifies Bermuda among territories that have never reported local, mosquito-borne Zika transmission. The only confirmed cases on the island, two in 2016, were both imported by travelers who contracted the virus in other countries.
Bermuda’s Zika History
During the global Zika outbreak of 2015-2016, Bermuda confirmed exactly two cases, both travel-related. The second was announced by Bermuda’s Department of Health on August 23, 2016, in a person who had recently visited a Zika-affected country. No chain of local transmission followed either case, meaning mosquitoes on the island did not pick up and spread the virus to other residents.
This matters because it places Bermuda in a different risk category than most of the Caribbean, where dozens of islands experienced widespread local outbreaks during 2016. Even across the broader Caribbean, the regional public health agency CARPHA has confirmed that epidemic Zika circulation was interrupted after 2016, with no confirmed cases from any Caribbean member state for at least 12 consecutive months following the peak.
Mosquitoes That Carry Zika Do Live There
Bermuda is not mosquito-free. Both species capable of transmitting Zika, the yellow fever mosquito and the Asian tiger mosquito, are established on the island. The yellow fever mosquito was considered eradicated from Bermuda in the mid-1960s but was detected again in 1997. The Asian tiger mosquito arrived around 2000 and has since become the more dominant species, displacing much of the yellow fever mosquito population.
The presence of these mosquitoes means the biological machinery for Zika transmission exists in Bermuda. What has prevented local spread is a combination of the island’s small population, its geographic isolation in the mid-Atlantic (far north of most Caribbean islands), active mosquito surveillance, and the overall decline of Zika circulation in the region.
How Bermuda Controls Mosquitoes
Bermuda takes an unusually hands-on approach to mosquito management. Vector Control inspectors survey the island year-round, with more frequent inspections during summer. They walk the exterior of properties across mapped neighborhoods, checking for mosquito breeding sites. Under the Public Health Act, every property owner is legally required to keep their property free of mosquitoes.
Notably, Bermuda does not use chemical sprays to control mosquito populations. Instead, inspectors rely on egg traps called ovitraps, which mimic ideal breeding environments. Mosquitoes lay eggs in these traps, and inspectors collect and destroy the eggs at a government lab. This approach doubles as a surveillance tool, giving health authorities ongoing data on which mosquito species are present, where they’re concentrated, and how populations shift over time.
What This Means for Travelers
If you’re traveling to Bermuda, the current Zika risk is very low. No local transmission has ever been documented, and the broader Caribbean region has seen no confirmed Zika activity in years. That said, the mosquitoes capable of carrying Zika are present on the island, so standard mosquito bite prevention (repellent, long sleeves during dawn and dusk) is still reasonable, particularly during Bermuda’s warmer months from May through October.
For pregnant travelers or those planning conception, the calculus is more reassuring for Bermuda than for destinations with a history of active local transmission. Bermuda’s government health services do offer Zika blood testing for people with relevant exposure and symptoms, and pregnant women can be tested within two weeks of potential exposure even without symptoms. Your healthcare provider in Bermuda can order these tests and is required to report any suspected cases to the island’s epidemiology unit.
The short version: Bermuda sits in a tropical-adjacent part of the Atlantic with Zika-capable mosquitoes, but the virus itself has never circulated locally on the island. The risk profile is closer to that of the mainland United States than to the Caribbean islands where Zika spread widely in 2016.