What does Zika mean for the Olympics?

With all the talk of Zika, what I haven't heard said is Rio 2016. The summer Olympic games are to be held in Rio de Janerio this summer. Few realize that people have already started going down to Brazil for qualifying trials. I know this because one of my best friend's boyfriend is competing. What about these people?  They go down for a few weeks to qualify and then come back. What are their chances of contracting and spreading the virus? Are appropriate measures being taken? We have learned that Zika can be transmitted sexually. So even if these people aren't pregnant, and I assume they are not, they can still bring the disease back with them.  We can't  assume that Olympic athletes wont be pregnant because I believe that the Olympics averages a certain number of pregnant women competing in each games. Not to mention, even if you aren't pregnant it makes you very ill.

As a new mom, I feel very strongly that we need to take an aggressive look at Zika. Transmission, cures, and how to protect unborn babies. I can't imagine the heartache of learning that a mosquito bite caused my baby to have incredible deformities. There are warnings that pregnant women shouldn't travel to infected areas. And, that women in affected areas should consider holding off on pregnancy until 2018. (This is something that is very interesting, telling a woman that may be at the end of childbearing years, that she has to wait. This may be a first world issue and not so much an issue for Brazil, but still, we should think about how this virus is effecting women's reproductive choices.) I am aware that the evidence is not conclusive yet that Zika causes microcephaly, the most linked birth defect to the virus.
Do we have time to wait for the research to conclusively decide when in a matter of months the largest international event will be at the center of the outbreak?

There is an underwhelming article in the NY Times from January of this year that states that 500,000 people are expected at the games this summer. Approximately 200,000 of them will be Americans. You can read this extremely brief article here. It doesn't mention the trials that are going on now. It is silent on the lack of public concern by the International Olympic Committee. CNN also wrote an article, a bit better than the NY Times in my opinion (and I never thought I would say that). It states that there were concerns with Rio hosting the Olympics before the Zika epidemic. They estimate that 600,000 are expected to attend and 16,000 athletes. They ask, should the Olympics be postponed? Can Rio handle hosting the Olympics and battling an epidemic at the same time?  To read that article visit it here.

This a my photo taken during my trip in 2009.

I have my own concerns about Brazil hosting the event. I went to Rio and the Pantanal during law school. I traveled around meeting with different people from different regions, the government, the indigenous communities and just sightseeing. But I was warned, stay away from the edges of the cities and don't go in the water after it rains. That's because the favelas are so dangerous that a blonde haired blue eyed American like myself would be a target in the favelas. As for rain, there is an inadequate sewage system in Rio, so when it rains raw sewage goes into the ocean. did I mention hat when the waves get so high that some of the streets flood? Don't wear open shoes after it rains either. So a city that cant handle it existing sewage, in my opinion, shouldn't be hosting a huge international event because of basic health concerns. Add Zika virus to the mix and by a month after the games we will have an international crisis.

This is my photo taken during my trip in 2009.

Is the International Olympic Committee even talking about this? Have they offered to contribute funds to research? Can they really handle another embarrassment after Sochi? Do they care about the athletes and their families, friends, co-workers, people of the world in general?! One has to wonder.


by Amy Z