The World Health Organization announced that Zika virus spreading globally during the Rio Olympics is very low risk yet it is still a global health concern. The 2016 Olympics Games will be held in less than 2 months.
Brazil has the largest number of cases with more than 100,000 reported positive of the Zika virus. About a million of spectators and 10,000 athletes from all over the world are expected to fly to Brazil. The concern on the spread of the virus internationally is ever growing as the Olympics draws near.
When it comes to Zika, the WHO panel said the risks in areas of Zika outbreaks are the same whether or not there's a mass gathering. It can be minimized by good public health measures, reports CBS News. Authorities in Brazil are intensifying safety measures and vector-control measures in the vicinity of the Games to further contain any risks of transmission, the panel adds.
The panel concluded that there should be no advice of restrictions avoiding "non-essential travel" to the Rio Olympics associated with Zika transmission. The WHO panel of experts recently released new ZIka guidance for the visitors in the Rio Olympics:
New Zika guidance from the WHO suggests visitors to the Rio Olympics avoid impoverished areas. https://t.co/kC74ee1xnB
— Nathan Fenno (@nathanfenno) May 12, 2016
The committee also recommended that countries should have a Zika risk assessment before the Olympics. Adding that Brazil should intensify its mosquito control measures in the cities hosting Olympic events.
In February, the Zika virus was declared a global public health emergency with more than 1 million reported cases in almost 40 countries and territories, but the majority is from Brazil. Most of the infected were only reported to mild flu-like symptoms, but Zika causes serious birth defects and has been linked to Guillain-Barré syndrome. Pregnant women are highly advised by U.S. health authorities not to travel to places of Zika outbreaks, TIME concludes.
