With the opening ceremony in Rio de Janeiro less than three months away, a Canadian professor has called for the Olympics to be postponed or moved because of the Zika outbreak, warning that the influx of visitors to Brazil will result in the avoidable birth of malformed babies.
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THE International Olympic Committee said it sees no need “to cancel, delay or move the Rio Olympic Games because of the Zika virus threat”.
“Malaria kills people, but people already know about it. Dengue kills people, but people already know about it. People don’t know about Zika”, said Nagy.
“WHO has a moral and scientific duty to prevent these games from going ahead as scheduled”, said Amir Attaran, a public health specialist at the University of Ottawa. It is expected that there will be 500,000 visitors from all around the world.
Since that statement in late January, in which the International Olympic Committee expressed confidence that the Games will be safe and advised participants on how to protect themselves from mosquito bites, researchers have proven that Zika infection during pregnancy can cause microcephaly in newborns.
The statement said it was important to remember the Olympic and Paralympics Games are taking place in the winter months of August and September, when mosquitoes should not be so abundant.
“There is no justification for canceling, delaying, postponing or moving the Rio Games”, said IOC Medical Director Richard Budgett, according to the BBC.
Meanwhile, a handful of golfers say they won’t be going to Rio, and a group of other athletes is demanding that Russians be banned from competing unless there is absolute proof that they are not doping.
Attaran makes a compelling case that the world’s health is not worth risking over the Olympics.
A municipal worker prepares insecticide to be sprayed at Sambodrome in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on January 26, 2016.
And if the Games do extend the virus’s reach, Attaran argues, scientists and health professionals have less time to work on developing and testing solutions, like a vaccine or an antiviral drug. They warn pregnant women to travel in countries where the disease has been spreading.
Those attending the Games should also follow the general regulations for using insect repellent and wear light clothing covering most of their bodies, and they should consult a doctor before they depart for Brazil. If they will push through with the Games, the disease could easily spread around the world and infect other countries that might not be equipped enough to stop the virus.
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Brazil has been at the epicenter of the Zika outbreak, which affects 58 countries and territories. “Which leads to a bitter truth: the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games must be postponed, moved, or both, as a precautionary concession”.
