​Zika fears prompt 238 public health experts to call for Olympics to be moved from Rio - Risk of spread from Olympics 'very low' says WHO - No Zika ca

[Pathfinder]

Zika Fears Prompt 125 Public Health Experts to Call for Olympics to Be Moved From Rio

By GILLIAN MOHNEY May 27, 2016, 11:00 AM ET

A group of 125 prominent scientists, doctors and medical ethicists released a letter calling for this summer's Olympic Games to be postponed or moved from Rio de Janeiro due to the ongoing Zika virus outbreak in Brazil.

In a letter directed to World Health Organization Director Dr. Margaret Chan, the group said that new findings about the Zika virus should result in the games being moved or postponed to safeguard the thousands of athletes, staff and reporters scheduled to attend the games.

"Currently, many athletes, delegations, and journalists are struggling with the decision of whether to participate in the Rio 2016 Games," the group wrote. "We agree with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control recommendation that workers should 'Consider delaying travel to areas with active Zika virus transmission'. If that advice were followed uniformly, no athlete would have to choose between risking disease and participating in a competition that many have trained for their whole lives."
...
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/zika-fears-prompt-125-public-health-experts-call/story?id=39426429

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rio Olympics Later
For the Good of Public Health and Spirit of Sport

Open Letter to Dr. Margaret Chan, Director-General, World Health Organization [WHO]

http://rioolympicslater.org/

 

[tetano]

Zika Fears Prompt 150 Public Health Experts to Call for Olympics to Be Moved From Rio


The letter was initially signed by 125 experts, but an additional 25 signed on later today.

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/zika-fears-prompt-125-public-health-experts-call/story?id=39426429

 

[Pathfinder]

Zika crisis: WHO rejects 'move Rio Olympics' call

1 hour ago

The World Health Organization (WHO) has rejected a call to move or postpone this summer's Rio Olympic Games over the Zika
outbreak.

It said this would "not significantly alter" the spread of the virus, which is linked to serious birth defects.

In an open letter to the WHO, more than 100 leading scientists had said new findings about Zika made it "unethical" for the Games to go ahead.

They also said the global health body should revisit its Zika guidance.
...
While Zika's symptoms are mild, in the letter the experts say it causes babies to be born with abnormally small heads and may also cause a rare and sometimes fatal neurological syndrome in adults.

The letter is signed by 150 international scientists, doctors and medical ethicists from such institutions as Oxford University and Harvard and Yale universities in the United States.
...

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-36401150

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[h=1]WHO public health advice regarding the Olympics and Zika virus[/h] [h=1]News Release[/h] 28 MAY 2016 | GENEVA - Based on current assessment, cancelling or changing the location of the 2016 Olympics will not significantly alter the international spread of Zika virus. Brazil is 1 of almost 60 countries and territories which to date report continuing transmission of Zika by mosquitoes. People continue to travel between these countries and territories for a variety of reasons. The best way to reduce risk of disease is to follow public health travel advice.
WHO advises pregnant women not to travel to areas with ongoing Zika virus transmission. This includes Rio de Janeiro. Pregnant women?s sex partners returning from areas with circulating virus should be counselled to practise safer sex or abstain throughout the pregnancy.
Anyone considering travel to the Olympics should:

• Follow the travel advice provided by their countries? health authorities, and consult a health worker before travelling.
• Whenever possible, during the day, protect themselves from mosquito bites by using insect repellents and by wearing clothing ? preferably light-coloured ? that covers as much of the body as possible.
• Practise safer sex (for example, use condoms correctly and consistently) or abstain from sex during their stay and for at least 4 weeks after their return, particularly if they have had or are experiencing symptoms of Zika virus.
• Choose air-conditioned accommodation (where windows and doors are usually kept closed to prevent the cool air from escaping, and mosquitoes cannot enter the rooms).
• Avoid visiting areas in cities and towns with no piped water or poor sanitation (ideal breeding grounds of mosquitoes), where the risk of being bitten by mosquitoes is higher.

WHO/PAHO is providing public health advice to the Government of Brazil and the Rio 2016 Organizing Committee, on ways to further mitigate the risk of athletes and visitors contracting Zika virus during the Games. An important focus of WHO advice revolves around measures to reduce populations of Aedes mosquitoes which transmit chikungunya, dengue and yellow fever in addition to Zika virus.
Based on the current assessment of Zika virus circulating in almost 60 countries globally and 39 countries in the Americas, there is no public health justification for postponing or cancelling the games. WHO will continue to monitor the situation and update our advice as necessary.
For additional travel assessments from other public health agencies see:

• U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention assessment, published 26 May 2016:
  Read the assessment
• European Centres for Disease Prevention and Control, published 10 May 2016:
  Read more (PDF)

[h=3]For more information, please contact:[/h] Daniel Epstein
PAHO Department of Communications
Mobile +1 301 219 2105
Email: epsteind@paho.org

Nyka Alexander
WHO Department of Communications
Mobile +41 79 634 02 95
Email: alexandern@who.int

Mr Gregory H?rtl
WHO Department of Communications
Mobile: +41 79 203 67 15
Email: hartlg@who.int

Ms Fad?la Chaib
WHO Department of Communications
Mobile: +41 79 475 55 56
Email: chaibf@who.int

Mr Tarik Jasarevic
WHO Department of Communications
Mobile: +41 79 367 62 14
Email: jasarevict@who.int

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2016/zika-health-advice-olympics/en/

 

[Pathfinder]

WHO and IOC accused of 'conflict of interest' over Zika virus threat to Rio Olympics athletes and fans

Patrick Sawer, senior reporter
28 MAY 2016 ? 4:09PM
...
One of the letter?s signatories, Professor Edwin van Teijlingen , an expert in reproductive health at Bournemouth University, accused the IOC and the WHO of being ?too close for comfort? and of operating behind a cloak of secrecy.

He said: ?There is a Memo of Understanding between them which they have not made public. They are not democratically elected organisations.

?The IOC and WHO are a little too close for comfort.?

Professor Amir Attaran, another of the co-authors of the letter and professor of law and medicine at the University of Ottowa, described the partnership as "beyond the pale" and called into question the independence of the WHO.

"It is ignorant and arrogant for the WHO to march hand-in-hand with the IOC. How can it be ethical to increase the risk of spreading the virus? Just because a fire has begun doesn't mean you need to pour gasoline on it,? he said.
...
Nyka Alexander, communication officer of the WHO, told The Telegraph: ?Stopping the Games would not stop Zika. Because of how much humans travel around the globe and because of how much mosquitoes travel, Zika is going to make its way to other countries. Anywhere the mosquito roams there is the possibility it will transmit Zika.?

She added that attempts to stop international travel to tackle one problem, such as Zika, would backfire by damaging the economies of effected countries and weakening their ability to fund proper health services.

?What we can do is do our best to stop mosquitoes biting and help people avoid risk,? said Ms Alexander.

She also rejected the suggestion of a secret deal between the WHO and the IOC.

?There is no current Memo of Understanding between the IOC and the WHO,? she said. ?The only previous MoU between us was a five year one which expired in July 2015 and related to working with the IOC to promote healthy lifestyles.?
...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/201...of-cover-up-over-zika-virus-threat-to-rio-ol/

 

[Pathfinder]

The Open Letter has now 238 signatures:


http://rioolympicslater.org/

 

[Pathfinder]

UN: Experts Being Asked to Examine Zika Risk at Rio Games

By MARIA CHENG, AP MEDICAL WRITER LONDON ? Jun 3, 2016, 12:20 PM ET

The World Health Organization's chief says she has convened an expert committee to consider whether the Rio De Janeiro Olympics should proceed as planned, following recent concerns raised about the threat of the Zika virus.

In a request last month, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen asked WHO's Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan to evaluate whether the Rio games should be delayed or postponed. Chan said in a letter released by Shaheen Friday that WHO has sent senior scientists to Brazil four times to assess the risk of Zika to the approximately 500,000 athletes and visitors expected to attend the Aug. 5-21 Olympics.
...
Last month, Attaran and more than 200 other experts signed an open letter asking WHO to convene an independent group to consider if the games should be delayed or moved "in the name of public health." WHO rejected such calls and said "cancelling or changing the location of the 2016 Olympics (would) not significantly alter the international spread of Zika."
...

http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory/experts-asked-examine-zika-risk-rio-games-39586829

 

[Pathfinder]

UN Asks Critic to Join Zika Group but Then Revokes Invite

By JAMEY KEATEN AND MARIA CHENG, ASSOCIATED PRESS GENEVA ? Jun 14, 2016, 8:07 AM ET

One of the leading critics of the World Health Organization says he was recently invited to sit on the U.N. health agency's Zika emergency committee, only to have his invitation rescinded when he refused to sign a confidentiality clause.

Last month, Canadian professor Amir Attaran and more than 200 colleagues wrote an open letter to WHO, accusing it of shirking its responsibilities by not considering whether to recommend delaying or canceling the Rio de Janeiro Olympics. He then received an invitation from WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan to sit on WHO's independent committee of Zika experts, which meets Tuesday.

"I was surprised, but thought it would be a good opportunity to have a full discussion of the concerns around Zika and the Olympics," Attaran said.

WHO then sent him a number of forms to sign ? including one with a clause that deems the committee deliberations, including his own comments, to be secret. Attaran signed and returned the forms, but crossed out that particular clause.

WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier said Tuesday that because Attaran did not agree to the confidentiality form, he was not issued a formal invitation.
...

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/asks-critic-join-zika-group-revokes-invite-39838006

 

[Pathfinder]

Zika virus: Risk of spread from Olympics 'very low' says WHO

14 June 2016

The World Health Organization (WHO) says there is a "very low risk" of Zika virus spreading globally as a result of holding the Olympics in Brazil.

There is no need to move the Olympics from Rio de Janeiro, or to postpone or cancel them, WHO experts said.
...
But despite the concern voiced by some scientists, the WHO said mosquito activity was relatively low in Brazil in August.
...
Millions of travellers already visit Brazil every year, so not holding the Olympics there would not reduce the numbers significantly, the WHO added.
...
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-36532935

 

[Pathfinder]

Translation Google

04/07/2016 11:55

Epidemiologist warns of risk of expansion of the Games zika

the EFE

Santander - The epidemiologist and former president of Doctors Without Borders organization in Spain Pedro Arcos warned Monday of the risk of spread of the virus zika by regions of the world where there is not due to the Games Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in August .

"It seems we chose the worst possible places to build this story," said the expert, who is currently director of Emergency and Disaster Research Unit, Department of Medicine, University of Oviedo, Spain.

Arcos attended a meeting on journalism and crisis situations on Monday, which said that the main risk will receive half a million people from a wide range of countries where the virus is not present, such as Southeast Asia and Africa, and part return home infected.

For the expert, people who travel to Rio de Janeiro will need to take additional steps to turn infected and, if proceeding from countries where there is not much control in blood transfusions, "will also increase the possibilities of expansion."

http://exame.abril.com.br/brasil/not...zika-nos-jogos

 

[Pathfinder]

No Zika cases from Olympics, says WHO

14 minutes ago
...
The WHO said its prediction that the Games would not fuel the spread of the Zika virus was being proved correct.

Some health experts had criticised the organisation for not calling for the Games to be moved or postponed.

At a news conference in Geneva, the head of the WHO's health emergency programme Peter Salama, said: "We don't have any confirmed cases of Zika amongst travellers or amongst indeed athletes."
...
http://www.bbc.com/news/health-37257949

 

[sharon sanders]

If sperm can test positive for 6 months after infection, how does the WHO, or anyone, know for sure no Zika cases were contracted as a result of the Olympics?

No one knows.