Risk of Zika spreading during Olympics considered low: WHO

Further international spread of the Zika virus as a result of the Olympic and Paralympic Games inBrazil is unlikely, the World Health Organization's emergency committee says.

Brazil will be hosting the Games during the country'swinter when the intensity of transmission of the virus will be minimal, and mosquito-control measures in Olympic and ParaOlympic venues will furthercut the risk of transmission, the United Nations public health agency said Tuesday.

"The risks are no different for people going to the Olympicsthan for other areas where there are outbreaks of Zika," DavidHeymann, chair of the WHO's expert panel, told reporters at WHOheadquarters in Geneva after the meeting.

The risk is already low for the virus to spreadinternationally, he added.

WHO continues to advise that:

• Pregnant women should nottravel to areas of Zikavirus outbreaks; pregnant women whose sexual partners live in or travel to areas withZikavirus outbreaks should ensure safe sexual practices, such as use of condoms,or abstain from sex for the duration of their pregnancy.
• Travellers to areas withZikavirus outbreaks should stay up to date on potential risks and appropriate measures to reduce the possibility of exposure through mosquito bites and sexual transmission. When they return, they should take appropriate measures, including safe sex, to reduce the risk of transmission.

A substantial portion of those infected with Zikadon't show symptomsand the infection is otherwise mild, saidDr. Bruce Aylward, WHO's executive director of outbreaks and health emergencies cluster.

WHO declared Zika to be a global emergency in February.

The mosquito-transmitted virus has been proven to cause microcephaly, a birth defect marked by a small head that can lead to severe developmental problems.

The expert panel alsoconcurred with the international scientific consensus that the virus is a cause ofGuillain-Barr, aneurological disorder in adults that can lead to temporary paralysis.

Lawrence Gostin, a Georgetown University expert ininternational health law, welcomed the advice.

"The risk of holding the Olympic Games is lower than therisk of cancelling or postponing [them]due to the economic andpolitical turmoil it would cause in Brazil," he said.

"[But]I am concerned that the WHO and International OlympicCommittee have placed virtually all the burden on Brazil for [mosquito]vector control."

The panel based its recommendation on information in countries with Zika transmission, namely Brazil,CapeVerde, Colombia, France and the U.S.

The individual risks in areas of transmission are the same whether or not mass gatherings occur, the panel concluded.