Zika risk minimal at Olympics Health officials

The risk of Zika virus infections at the Olympic Games is low and an issue that has been almost overcome, health officials in Brazil said on Sunday (July 31), just days before the event begins in Rio de Janeiro.

Nearly half a million people are expected to visit the Games which start on Friday (August 5).

Daniel Soranz, the Municipal Health Secretary in Rio, said the Zika virus should not deter travellers and instances of the virus being contracted had dipped significantly in recent months.

“Since November of last year, we have already been showing projections and scientific studies that show this won’t be an issue during the Olympics. From two weeks before the Games the number of cases were almost non-expressive. In the city there are very rare instances and for us it is an issue that we have more than overcome.”

Brazil has been hardest hit by the disease outbreak, and many physicians, competitors and potential visitors have expressed fears the Olympics could serve as a catalyst to spread the virus globally.

Asked about risks associated with water quality at water sports venues for the Games, Soranz said the venues have been in use in the last year by both athletes and visitors and that there had been no recorded health incident in that time.

There is currently no vaccine or treatment for Zika, which is spread primarily through the bite of an infected mosquito, although it can also spread through sexual transmission.

Global health officials are racing to better understand the Zika virus which has spread to many countries in the Americas.

The WHO says there is strong scientific consensus that Zika is a cause of the birth defect microcephaly, or small heads in babies, as well as Guillain-Barre syndrome, a neurological disorder.