

But the facts of the outbreak, human psychology and the needs of public health officials and Olympic organizers to consider both mean dealing with the threat is more complicated than just statistical probability. The attention received by the Zika virus, which is believed to cause serious birth defects (pregnant women have been advised not to attend the Games), might seem out of proportion with what turns out to be a small risk. “The bottom line is they came up with all those calculations and thought that the magnitude of the risk is very low… The risk of the Olympics serving as that event, serving as a way to spread the Zika virus internationally just pales in comparison with what happens anyway (in terms of travel).” “There are people who’ve looked at this carefully and examined the risk using estimates” of factors such as the number of travellers to Rio, their risk of mosquito exposure, sexual transmission and the rate the virus clears from the body, said Mark Loeb, the division director for infectious diseases and a professor in the Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine at McMaster University. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. And a Yale study published last week concluded that only between three and 37 of a possible half-million visitors would contract the virus and bring it home. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that only four countries are at increased risk because of the Olympics, and even there the risk is small. Despite earlier calls for the Games to be moved, in June an expert health panel from the World Health Organization concluded that the risk the Games will accelerate the spread of Zika is “very low.” In July, the U.S.

Authorities have been taking measures to reduce the insect’s population and rates of Zika infection in Rio have fallen. The Games are taking place during Brazil’s winter, when there are fewer mosquitoes, which carry the virus and pass it to humans. The next issue of NP Posted will soon be in your inbox. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.
