IOC sends medical advice to Olympic committees on Zika virus

As Europe and the United States continue to crack down on refugees, Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirmed on Thursday that for the first time, a team of refugees will compete in the upcoming Summer Olympics in Brazil.

“We will do everything to ensure the health of the athletes and all the visitors”, Bach told reporters during a visit to the Greek capital.

“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.

The World Health Organisation warned on Thursday that the mosquito-borne disease was spreading “explosively” and could affect as many as 4 million people in the Americas.

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has vowed to wage a “house-by-house fight” against the virus ahead of the Olympics and the IOC’s Medical and Scientific Commission, chaired by World Archery’s President Uğur Erdener, seem confident in the work that is being done.

“We must declare war on the mosquito and until we have a vaccine against the Zika virus, that war must focus our efforts on eliminating its breeding grounds”, Rousseff said on her Twitter page.

While by itself, the virus is not normally life-threatening, and most people who become infected have no symptoms at all, it has been linked to a recent rise in birth defects, including brain damage and abnormally small heads in those infected.

The WHO, meanwhile, will convene a meeting on Monday to decide if Zika should be treated as a global emergency.

Fears have been raised over the Zika virus, which has swept through Brazil since April 2015. The virus has also been linked to the paralysis-causing Guillain-Barre syndrome.

While touring a refugee camp in Athens, Greece, Bach said: “We want to draw the attention of the world to the problems of the refugees”, Reuters reported.

Late past year the Rio 2016 organizing committee said it would slash spending by 500 million U.S. dollars to maintain its 1.9 billion-dollar operating budget.

“This has never been mentioned”. Women who may be pregnant have been urged to discuss the trip with their health care provider.

“The IOC says it will send advice on how to deal with the Zika virus to all the national committees….”

Professor Ramon Shaban of the Australasian College for Infection Prevention and Control said any pregnant woman concerned about the risk of Zika transmission and infection should consult their obstetrician.

Bach and Rogge were invited by the Greek government and the Hellenic Olympic Committee with the presence of the UNHCR in Greece to visit the Open Reception Centre for refugees in Athens.