One of the most prestigious medical journals in the world has issued a call to cancel the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Last week, the Harvard Public Health Review published an opinion piece written by University of Ottawa’s Amir Attaran which states the presence of the Zika virus in Brazil is an Olympic game-changer.
Risk of Global Exposure to the Zika Virus
Attaran says that the spread of the Zika virus will explode globally as a half million visitors and athletes from around the world travel to Rio for the Olympics and Paralympics and then back home again. He reminds us that the current Zika outbreak in Brazil was started by one single infected person. Brazil remains ground zero for the South American Zika virus outbreaks – and Rio de Janeiro has more cases of the virus than anywhere else in that country.
How the Zika Virus Is Spread
The Zika virus is spread through the bite of infected mosquitos. It can also be transmitted sexually or through blood transfusions. The symptoms of the virus itself are usually quite mild – fever, joint pain, rash, and conjunctivitis – and most people don’t even get sick enough to go to the hospital. Most prevention efforts against the Zika virus involve reducing the risk of mosquito bites.
Devastating Consequences to Children & Adults
However, the after-effects of the Zika virus have made headlines because they cause microcephaly in babies whose mothers have been exposed to the virus. Microcephaly is a birth defect which can result in developmental delays, seizures, hearing and vision problems, and other risks that could affect the child’s entire life.
Attaran says that babies aren’t the only ones who can develop severe problems after exposure to the Zika virus – and more of those risks are being discovered every day. Zika also has been linked to Guillain-Barré syndrome and acute disseminated encephalomyelitis in adults, both of which have debilitating or even fatal consequences.
Worldwide Health Risks
In the essay, Attaran backs up each of his arguments with detailed, up-to-the-minute medical research. He further warns that exposing citizens of poorer countries to the Zika virus is an injustice. Countries like Nigeria, India, and Indonesia aren’t as capable of fighting a viral outbreak as even Brazil is.
IOC & WHO Say the Games Must Go On
Attaran has been unable to persuade the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to postpone or relocate the games, in part because the World Health Organization (WHO) insists that the Games should go forward. The WHO maintains that the recent Zika virus outbreak in Brazil doesn’t justify any changes to the Rio Games, including cancellation or postponement.
There is currently no vaccine to treat the Zika virus, although several major pharmaceutical companies are researching the use of existing vaccines as a potential treatment for Zika.
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