Zika and the Olympics

The World Health Organization (WHO) advises that, despite the presence of the Zika virus in the Rio de Janeiro area, the virus will not pose a significant health risk at the Summer Olympic Games.

According to WHO, as the games will be held during Brazil’s winter months, the population of the vector of Zika, the Aedes aegypti mosquito, will be small. WHO also recommends that all visitors stay inside whenever possible and, if outside, to wear clothing that covers much of the body, to use insect repellent and to avoid areas of Rio with standing pools of water. 

It is important to note that there is evidence that Zika is sexually transmittable, by men only, for up to eight weeks after infection, even if the infection was asymptomatic. Therefore, WHO stresses that pregnant women as well as couples who plan on becoming pregnant not travel to any country in which Zika is endemic.

As of press time, there are 37 countries in the Western Hemisphere that have experienced cases of mosquito-born Zika infections. In May, Argentina and Granada reported their first native infections, and Anguilla reported its first native infection in June .

Zika virus causes soreness, headaches and fever, though most infected people experience no symptoms.