(Newswire.net — May 28, 2016) — More than 150 medical experts signed an open letter to WHO and IOC asking them to “reconsider” the Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, fearing that the Zika virus that has shook Brazil could spread worldwide, Russia Today reported.
“WHO’s declaration of Zika as a ‘Public Health Emergency of International Concern,’ coupled with new scientific findings that underscore the seriousness of that problem, call for the Rio 2016 Games to be postponed and/or moved to another location – but not cancelled – in the name of public health,” the open letter to the World Health Organization and the International Olympic Committee reads.
The concern comes after new findings that the mosquito-borne virus poses a larger threat than was previously thought. According to scientists, Zika virus “could be behind more damaging neurological conditions, affecting the babies of up to a fifth of infected pregnant women,” BBC News reported.
Scientists have found that the Zika virus is responsible for a mass increase of Microcephaly in newborn babies. It is a condition in which babies are born with smaller skulls which prevents normal development of the brain causing serious problems.
The current outbreak of the Zika virus began in early 2015 in Brazil, then spread to other parts of South and North America. There are more than 25,000 cases of Microcephaly registered in the U.S. and doctors fear this virus could induce a global outbreak if not contained, and the Olympic Games are like an open door and invitation for the virus to spread.
According to the doctors that signed the petition, it would be impossible to contain the virus if it spreads to athletes from all around the world. It was recently discovered that the virus could be spread during sexual intercourse, just like HIV, as it remains active for 6 months in an infected man’s semen.
Although Zika is a mosquito-borne virus, in late March, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned that men diagnosed with the Zika virus should wait at least six months before having unprotected sex, as the virus remains active in semen.
Scientists also claim that virus is “is neurotrophic and causes cell death.” They say a new studies show it is “biologically plausible that there are other as yet undiscovered neurological injuries, as exist for similar viruses.”
It is highly unlikely that the IOC will postpone or move an event of such magnitude as the Summer Olympic Games that gathers the world’s best athletes and millions of tourists once every four years. However, some countries are taking the Zika virus threats more serious than other. Australia supplied its Olympic representatives with special anti-Zika preservatives.
According to some experts, however, the situation has been blown a little out of proportion, saying that there are slim chances of an outbreak because the healthcare structure surrounding the Olympic Games is firm.
