U.S. Olympic officials are saying athletes should stay home if they are concerned about Zika, according to a report from Reuters.
The advice from the U.S. Olympic Committee, which Reuters says was relayed in a conference call Monday, comes amid heightened concerns about the safety of athletes and the public as Brazil is one of the countries hit hardest by the Zika outbreak.
A few weeks ago officials in Rio de Janeiro, the city hosting the games in August, said they would fumigate Olympic facilities daily as the virus is primarily spread through mosquito bites. Brazilian officials also point out that mosquitoes won’t be as prevalent there in August, since it’s winter there, with an average high of 76 degrees.
Zika normally causes a fever or rash in people who are infected. Health agencies strongly suspect the virus is linked to a birth defect called microcephaly that causes babies to be born with abnormally small heads.
Brazil has had more than 3,000 cases of microcephaly since the Zika outbreak began.
Nearly 30 countries have been affected.
More than 30 cases have been found in the U.S., but only one case where the virus has spread from person to person. Most of the cases were from people who traveled to an affected country and returned to the U.S.
A majority of the countries affected are in central and South America.
