UN: Zika increasingly alarming but Rio Olympics should be OK
ASSOCIATED PRESS
In this May 4th, 2016 photo, Aedes Albopictus mosquitoes sit in a secured U.S Department of Agriculture lab in Manhattan, Kansas. The mosquitoes are part of the USDA’s high school pilot program, which relies on students to set mosquito traps that will help improve official mosquito maps.
GENEVA >> The World Health Organization’s chief says the agency is increasingly worried about the Zika virus, even though it does not recommend canceling or postponing the upcoming Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympics.
In a briefing Tuesday in Geneva, Dr. Margaret Chan said “the more we learn about Zika, the more worried we get about it.”
Chan noted that although Zika has been around for decades, it is only recently that the virus has been proven to cause severe birth defects and neurological problems.
In February, WHO declared the explosive outbreak to be a global health emergency. Zika has now spread to nearly 60 countries.
Some experts have called for this year’s Olympics to be moved or delayed to prevent the avoidable birth of brain-damaged babies. The games run Aug 5-21.
One response to “UN: Zika increasingly alarming but Rio Olympics should be OK”
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The all mighty dollar is too powerful to postpone the Olympics…..now if all athletes and multinational companies boycotted Rio, that is another story.