Athletes and tourists warned Zika could spread at Rio Olympics
Zika can cause shrunken heads in the babies of affected mothers (Picture: REUTERS)

Athletes and tourists have been told to think carefully before travelling to the Olympic Games this summer in Rio, where officials are struggling to contain the spread of the Zika virus.

The virus, which is carried by mosquitoes, causes flu-like symptoms in adults but has been linked to birth defects, such as shrunken brains, in the babies of those affected.

The earliest recorded cases of Zika were in Brazil, which now has 1.5million affected and which is set to host the Olympic Games this summer. Athletes and tourists travelling from other parts of the world have been told to think twice before heading to Rio de Janeiro.

The Australian, Russian, American and British teams have all said they are monitoring the situation carefully.

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Picture: Getty Images)
Rio de Janeiro will host the Olympics this year (Picture: Getty Images)

‘All females of child-bearing age need to be aware of the specific risks of microcephaly in newborns, should the mother become infected during pregnancy,’ David Hughes, the Australia team’s medical director, told The Telegraph.

‘Following the recently updated guidelines, 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.’

Yesterday, US scientists warned the World Health Organisation to take immediate action to fight the Zika virus, which they say has ‘explosive pandemic potential.’

Daniel R. Lucey and Lawrence O. Gostin said that the WHO was not quick enough its response to the Ebola crisis, and it is likely that thousands of lives were lost as a result.

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