Cases of the virus, which is spread by mosquitoes, have been rising across the country and the rest of the Americas and is a major cause for concern ahead of the Opening Ceremony on August 5. That connection has still not been proved. The virus might make people reconsider going to the Rio Olympics. Once a mosquito bites a person who has the virus, the mosquito can then pass the virus on to the next person it bites. “So the global spread of the virus might increase substantially due to higher activity of mosquitoes”.
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“The Games will take place in the winter here, so the temperature is a couple of degrees down from the normal summer temperature, so naturally there will be fewer mosquitoes”, said Mario Andrada, a Rio Olympics spokesman.
“Definitely … other countries will use it. I just spoke to some journalist from Brazil who said Neymar has confirmed that he is going to play”.
It added it was in close communication with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Rio 2016 organising committee, which itself is in regular contact with the Brazilian Ministry of Health and the Municipal Health Department.
He added that teams were reviewing Olympic venues daily to eliminate problems like stagnant water where mosquitoes can breed.
The cross-nation team of refugee athletes will be formed of highly qualified athletes.
A spokesperson for the British Olympic Association said: “As part of Team GB’s overall planning, our medical team has been liaising with specialists at the London School of Tropical Medicine”. Sailors have complained angrily about competing in the city’s sewage-infested bay. “This is only the latest bad news for the Games, which have already seen huge budget cuts because of the economic crisis in Brazil”. The camp hosts mostly Afghans and Iranians.
The WHO warned that Zika was spreading “explosively” and said its estimate of cases covered all infections, including those of people who might not report, or experience, clinical symptoms.
“We’re not even thinking of that”, he said.
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Brazilian researchers believe the strain of Zika may have entered Brazil with visitors arriving for the 2014 World Cup. “The Olympics is about families”, she said.
