USOC ‘will not prevent athletes from competing’ over Zika

“Bottom line”, USA Fencing president Donaldo Anthony told Bases and Schneyer.

The WHO saw no need to issue travel advisories, but the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is advising pregnant women not to travel to areas with a Zika outbreak.

Brazilian health officials on Friday also said pregnant women should avoid kissing people other than their regular partners and sharing cutlery, glasses and plates with people who have symptoms of the virus.

The USOC has not issued its own set of recommendations for athletes and staff beyond what the CDC and World Health Organization have issued.

However, scientists admit that the Zika virus is not well understood.

The disease, which is carried by the same mosquito that produced dengue fever and chikungunya, is particularly risky pregnant women and is believed linked to microcephaly – a congenital condition that is characterized by newborns with unusually small heads and incomplete brain development. It is believed to be the first time health officials have directly blamed the mosquito-borne disease for causing fatalities. And there is a possible link between the Zika virus and microcephaly.

In a January 29 letter from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to national committees, the IOC’s chief doctors said they were monitoring the situation closely. British athletes are being guided about the virus outbreak ahead of travelling to Brazil, while the Australian Olympic Committee has advised pregnant athletes against travelling to Brazil.

“It’s great to already be selected for the Olympic games”.

The DuPage County Health Department says residents are at a “very low” risk of contracting the Zika virus in DuPage County, according to a department news release.

Dr. Derek Forster, UK’s medical director in Infection Prevention and Control, says there are no known Zika cases in Kentucky.

Couples in which a man resides in or has traveled to an area of active Zika virus transmission who are concerned about sexual transmission of Zika virus may consider using condoms consistently and correctly during sex or abstaining from sexual activity. The Zika virus is spread through mosquito bites from Aedes aegypti and causes only a mild illness in most people.