The impending Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in August is making both athletes and visitors anxious due to Brazil's status as ground zero for the Zika virus outbreak. The committee for the Rio Olympics, however, assured that Zika won't be a big threat to the upcoming Olympics.
Winter Days Will Hamper Zika's Spread
Dr. João Grangeiro, Rio 2016's chief medical officer, said in a news conference that the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes that carry Zika will be less active. This is because Brazil's winter days are during August and September, and Zika-carrying mosquitoes thrive in warmer conditions, NBC News reported.
Grangeiro said they have conducted 44 test events this year during the summer, a time when the Zika outbreak is most active. According to Grangeiro, more than 7,000 athletes, 8,000 volunteers and 2,000 staff participated in those test events and no one exhibited a single case of Zika contamination or infection.
Around 500,000 athletes and spectators are projected to attend the 2016 Olympics. Researchers from the University of São Paulo think no more than 16 additional Zika cases would occur due to the Olympic Games.
The World Health Organization said canceling or moving this year's Olympic Games someplace else "will not significantly alter the international spread of Zika virus," NBC News further reported. The Rio Olympics committee said they have been conducting daily patrols to remove standing water that serves as breeding grounds for mosquitoes. As added precaution, the committee will hold briefings for athletes and visitors before they head to Brazil and after they arrive in the country.
Tourists don't seem to be worried about the Zika outbreak as well. Mario Andrada, executive communications director for Rio 2016, said ticket sales for the Olympics have increased during the past six to eight weeks.
The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control said Zika's low turnout during the Olympics means athletes and attendees are more likely to get the flu or food poisoning than acquiring the virus. But it should be noted that a person with Zika could affect others in his/her home country and start a new outbreak in other nations. Males affected with Zika can also infect others with the virus through unprotected sex.
Public Health Experts Call For Olympics Cancellation Or Delay
New York State Lieutenant Gov. Betsy McCaughey it's only a matter of time before Zika will spread in other parts of the world due to the 2016 Olympics, NY Daily News reported. Republican Representative Michael Burgess said allowing half a million athletes and spectators to visit Brazil for the Olympics in the midst of the Zika outbreak would be a "terrible human experiment," per WFAA.
