The World Health Organization’s emergency committee on Zika re-asserted its stance today against moving or postponing this summer’s Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, despite calls from scientists to relocate the event.
In a statement released today, the committee reiterated its cautions for the travel of pregnant women but concluded “that there is a very low risk of further international spread of Zika virus as a result of the Olympic and Paralympic Games,” given that the games will take place during Brazil’s winter, when common insect-borne viruses like dengue and Zika pose minimal risk. The committee also stated that the public-health focus on the Olympics is intensifying control measures “in and around the venues for the games.”
