Brazil’s hosting of the Olympics next month has prompted concern that the games could propel the spread of Zika across the globe.
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Bell County Public Health says the male traveler was infected with the virus while he was traveling in a Zika-affected area outside of the United States.
The Olympics are happening at a colder time of year in Rio, when mosquito activity is at a minimum.
Zika is spread primarily through the bite of an infected mosquito, however, the virus can also be spread through sexual transmission. But in only four of the 19 countries is the issue considered substantial: Yemen, at the southern tip of the Arabian peninsula, and Chad, Djibouti and Eritrea in Africa.
“With the exception of four countries, attendance at the games does not pose a unique or substantive risk for mosquito-borne transmission of Zika virus in excess of that posed by non-games travel”, the authors wrote. And of the 206 countries participating, only four face an increased risk of importing new Zika cases.
The 19 countries, identified by the CDC, have not reported an outbreak so far.
The Olympic and Paralympic games are expected to draw an estimated 350,000 to 500,000 worldwide visitors and athletes from 207 countries. “Our state’s work against Zika has never been more vital”. “It’s really driven by global aviation and travel and connectivity”.
Additionally, the agency found that even though there will be increased travel to the area for the Olympics, the overall risk of the virus being transmitted to new areas due to Olympics-related travel is low.
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Some people have been calling for the games to at least be delayed, and some athletes have announced they won’t travel to Rio. Men who have had symptoms of Zika should wait six months before trying to start a family, according to the World Health Organization.
