The Zika virus that is believed to have infected more than 7,500 people in an island nation off the western coast of Africa is the same strain spreading through the Americas, the World Health Organisation has said.

Police have launched a manhunt for a soldier suspected of killing 11 people at a military barracks on the Cape Verde islands.

The first hurricane to pass over Cape Verde caused flooding, uprooted trees and tore off some roofs but caused no major damage or injuries, according to authorities in the West African islands.