WHO emergency committee: no point in postponing Olympic Games in Rio
Travel Health
Delaying the Olympics this year due to Zika virus would only offer a "false" sense of security, WHO says
Travelers going in and out of Brazil are already a constant risk vector for spreading the Zika virus to other continents. Consequently, WHO rejected the call of the 100 medical experts urging the global health organization to delay the beginning of the games in Rio.
"The problem is not the Olympics, the problem is other travel besides the Olympics, if there is a problem. People go in and out of Brazil all the time for holiday, for business, for whatever. And the Olympics is much less travel, it would be one-time travel. It's actually in the winter months when hopefully transmission (of the virus) is less. So it's just a false security to say that you'll postpone the Olympics and postpone the globalization of this disease, " Dr. David L. Heymann, head of WHO's emergency committee declared for Reuters.
Moreover, Dr. Heymann rather underlined the importance of monitoring athletes returning from the competition in Brazil, despite Zika's insidiousness.
National health authorities should also advise their citizens about virus infection prevention and general health-care rules when visiting the South American country, safe-sex and use mosquito-repellent solutions included.
Travelers going in and out of Brazil are already a constant risk vector for spreading the Zika virus to other continents. Consequently, WHO rejected the call of the 100 medical experts urging the global health organization to delay the beginning of the games in Rio.
"The problem is not the Olympics, the problem is other travel besides the Olympics, if there is a problem. People go in and out of Brazil all the time for holiday, for business, for whatever. And the Olympics is much less travel, it would be one-time travel. It's actually in the winter months when hopefully transmission (of the virus) is less. So it's just a false security to say that you'll postpone the Olympics and postpone the globalization of this disease, " Dr. David L. Heymann, head of WHO's emergency committee declared for Reuters.
Moreover, Dr. Heymann rather underlined the importance of monitoring athletes returning from the competition in Brazil, despite Zika's insidiousness.
National health authorities should also advise their citizens about virus infection prevention and general health-care rules when visiting the South American country, safe-sex and use mosquito-repellent solutions included.
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