The summer Olympics are held every four years. Countries vie to host the Olympics. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, won this spot for 2016 but it is being suggested, due to recent events, that the location be changed, and it's all because of mosquitos. Mosquitos can carry the Zika virus. The Zika virus is spread through the bite of an infected Aedes-species mosquito. Symptoms include fever, rash, joint pain, and red eyes. In April 2015, an outbreak of the Zika virus began in Brazil and it has spread to other countries in South America, Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean.
In February, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a public health emergency due to its effect on pregnancy. Zika can be transmitted from pregnant women to the fetus and can cause microcephaly and other severe brain anomalies, and in adults it can result in Guillain-Barre syndrome. Since there is no vaccine or cure for Zika, some medical professionals are drawing more attention to the Olympics, where thousands or millions of people will be in one area for an extended period of time and travel rates of people leaving and entering the country will be high.
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Concerns are raised not only for pregnant women, but for the athletes and those who travel to see the games. One solution would be to continue the games as planned and charge the athletes $100 each for a mosquito net for their rooms. Instead of trying to move the games, there should be measures taken and the situation at hand should be closely monitored. The situation is being closely monitored by the Olympic game committee.
