Zika virus concern in Rio ahead of Olympic Games
By AFP
Last Updated: 24/01/16 6:23pm
Officials in Rio de Janeiro have promised to step up measures to eradicate Zika virus-carrying mosquitoes at Olympic venues before the Games start in six months, amid a regional health scare.
Zika, which is transmitted by mosquitoes, has been blamed for causing serious birth defects if a mother is infected during pregnancy. These include microcephaly, in which the baby is born with an abnormally small head.
A dramatic growth in incidents across Latin America, notably in Brazil, has prompted governments to warn pregnant women about travelling to the region - a sensitive topic as Rio prepares to become the first South American city to host the Summer Games, starting on August 5.
Brazil and several other countries have even advised women to delay getting pregnant.
"The mayor's office will be intensifying inspections for the Olympics in August, despite this being a period with lower numbers of mosquitoes," read a statement from City Hall in Rio.
"About a month before the opening of the Games a team will visit all competition sites to eliminate possible concentrations," the mayor's office said.
The mayor's office added that its campaign against the mosquitoes would be helped by the fact the Games will take place during the southern hemisphere winter, but there would still be an increase in preventative efforts.
Officials say a key measure is getting rid of stagnant water, an easy breeding ground for mosquitoes.
However, about 80 per cent of mosquito breeding takes place in and around housing, "which shows that the fight... is a duty for all," the mayor's office said.
