“The Committee concluded that there is a very low risk of further global spread of Zika virus as a result of the Olympic and Paralympic Games as Brazil will be hosting the Games during the Brazilian winter”, the World Health Organization said.
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Regarding mass gatherings in general, Heymann said the committee, after hearing from three additional experts on the topic, concluded that the risk to an individual would be the same as in any other area where Zika virus is circulating, whether or not a mass gathering is taking place.
After convening a meeting of its independent Zika experts, the United Nations health agency reaffirmed its previous advice that only pregnant women should skip the August 5-21 games in Brazil, the epicenter of the ongoing outbreak.
The committee also recommended that Brazil be encouraged to continue in its efforts to control mosquito populations around Olympic event venues and to make certain there is enough mosquito repellent- and, given that Zika can be transmitted sexually, enough condoms – for both athletes and visitors.
Pregnant women infected with the virus during their first trimester face as high as a 13 percent chance that their fetus will develop microcephaly, according to research published last month that analyzed data from one of the most affected areas in Brazil.
Meanwhile, a Canadian professor and more than 200 colleagues wrote an open letter to World Health Organization last month, accusing it of shirking its responsibilities by not considering whether to recommend delaying or cancelling the event. In recent weeks Temer has stepped up his pledges of support for Rio games, which have been beset by a series of problems including the ongoing political crisis, Brazil’s worst recession in decades and an outbreak of the Zika virus, which has been linked to birth defects in infants.
The connection between Zika and microcephaly first came to light a year ago in Brazil, which has confirmed more than 1400 cases of microcephaly that it considers to be related to Zika infections in the mothers.
The 33-year-old canoeist won bronze in the C1 1000-metre race at the London Games in 2012 and will have his wife, former Olympic swimmer Annamay Pierse, and their infant daughter cheering him on in Brazil.
Zika, which is spread by mosquitoes and through sexual contact, only causes flu symptoms in most cases. They noted that Brazil was entering winter months when transmission is lower.
“If you look at the new port, if you look at the new hotels and shops which have been created and will be created by this enhancement of the tourism industry”, said Bach, who was speaking at the unveiling ceremony of the 2016 Olympic medals.
The Olympics host country has “put in a huge amount of work to eradicate the spread of the virus”, Myers said, particularly through major educational campaigns.
The WHO also officially declared that Zika can cause a rare, paralyzing complication called Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS).
There is still no vaccine for Zika.
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An official who was briefed on the progress of the case but insisted on anonymity to discuss a continuing investigation said authorities believe Mateen’s wife knew about the plot ahead of time, but they are reluctant to charge her on that basis alone.
