Written by Mary Chastain at Breitbart.com
An Australian doctor with the Olympic team believes the Rio water poses more of a threat towards the athletes than the Zika virus.
Tests found “disease-causing viruses” in the Guanabara Bay and aquatic venues, including sailing, rowing, canoeing, open-water swimming, and triathlon.
“If someone gets a nasty gastro infection, vomiting and diarrhea, it’s not ideal for competing in an Olympic environment,” explained Dr. David Hughes. “Rio poses a multitude of medical challenges when it comes to keeping our athletes and officials safe. We have had many teams go to Rio, we are aware of the water quality issues. We have protocols in place to minimize the risk, but you can’t make the risk zero.”
The Australian Olympic Committee encouraged its female athletes to educate themselves about Zika and “consider the risks of competing in the Rio Olympics due to the outbreak of Zika.”
“Any team members who are pregnant at the time of the Games need to consider the risks very carefully before deciding whether to proceed with travel to Brazil,” they said.
The Brazilian government has advised women to delay pregnancy for up to two years due to the possible connection to microcephaly, a rare birth defect that occurs when the brain does not form properly during pregnancy.
Olympic Spanish swimmer Mireia Belmonte might not attend the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janiero due to the Zika outbreak.
“If my health is in danger, I will think about not going to the Rio games,” she said.
Despite the name, the Summer Olympics will take place during winter in Brazil, so officials hope the cooler weather will kill the Aedes aegypti mosquito known to spread Zika and diminish the threat. Spring formally begins in September.
“There is still a long way to go until the Games and things can change, but the important thing is to know that we are going to be safe and that our health is not being to be put at risk,” added Belmonte.
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