Health Minister Gaétan Barrette says a second Quebecer has contracted the Zika virus. 

Barrette says the woman recently returned from Brazil and is now at home where she's suffering from flu-like symptoms.

The first case, confirmed by authorities last Friday, involved a woman who was infected while travelling in the Caribbean in early January.

Quebec public health officials have sought to downplay fears of an outbreak of the Zika virus.

Dr. Horacio Arruda, director of Quebec Public Health, said last Friday the chances of contracting the virus in Quebec are "practically zero." 

The type of mosquito that transmits Zika is not present in Quebec, he added.

Arruda did warn that Quebecers who visit Central and South America should take precautions, especially women who are pregnant or thinking about having children.

The Zika virus is believed to have a possible connection to microcephaly, a rare neurological birth defect characterized by an abnormally small head that can lead to developmental issues or even death.