“The Zika news has caused no end of concern if we’re totally honest”, she wrote.
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Zika in pregnant women has been linked to birth defects including microcephaly, in which the infant is born with an abnormally small head.
More than 150 scientists have called for the Games to be moved to another location, but organisers have rejected their request.
The decision was printed in an article for London’s Evening Standard newspaper, which was written by Rutherford’s wife, Susie Verrill.
Cyclist Tejay van Garderen and golfers Vijay Singh and Marc Leishman have already said they will not compete at the August Games because of Zika. Verrill continued by saying the couple would love to have more children, and she cannot put herself into a position which could have been prevented. Verrill added that besides the precautions taken with Rutherford’s sperm, she will not be attending the event, saying that after so many medical experts had said the Rio Olympic Games should be postponed or moved, she can not take the additional chance of exposing herself to the mosquito-born Zika virus.
WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan has asked committee members to examine the risks of holding the Olympic Games, which run August 5-21.
American television presenter Savannah Guthrie also announced on Tuesday she is pregnant and consequently would be skipping the Games on doctors’ advice.
The mosquito-borne Zika virus has caused athletes to pull out of the Olympic Games and prompted countries to design special protective uniforms ahead of Rio 2016.
According to NBCNews.com, health officials for Rio 2016 say the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes-known to carry the Zika virus-will be less active during the Olympic Games due to the cooler and drier weather in the region.
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Other athletes withdraw from the Rio Olympic Games. In addition, the World Health Organization reported that moving or changing the 2016 Olympic Games would not significantly alter the global spread of Zika virus.
