WHO sets up emergency committee to assess Zika's impact on Olympics

(Baonghean.vn) - An emergency committee “will meet soon” to assess the impact of the virus on the Summer Olympics, according to information from the head of the World Health Organization (WHO). More than 1.5 million people have been infected with the virus in Brazil, the country hardest hit by the outbreak.

A WHO special committee will look into the Zika threat in Brazil and its implications for the Olympics, which start in August. Photo: dpa.

WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said the United Nations public health agency will convene a special committee to review the Zika threat in Brazil and its implications for the Olympics, which are set to open in August.

In a letter to US Senator Jeanne Shaheen posted on the lawmaker's website on June 3, the WHO leader said: "Given the current level of international concern, I have decided to ask the members of the Zika Emergency Committee to assess the risks of holding the Summer Olympics as currently planned."

Earlier, 150 health experts from around the world sent an open letter urging the WHO to postpone or cancel the Olympics in Brazil.

However, WHO spokeswoman Nyka Alexander told Reuters on June 3 that “it is not our place” to decide whether to hold the Games, amid concerns that the mosquito-borne virus could pose a risk to athletes and spectators.

Last week, the UN agency said postponing or cancelling the Olympics “will not change the global spread of Zika virus” since outbreaks were recorded in at least 60 countries.

Zika: Risk of microcephaly

US officials announced in April a possible link between Zika and an increase in the number of cases of microcephaly – a rare condition that causes babies to have smaller heads than normal.

WHO also confirmed that it has investigated the link between the increase in microcephaly cases and areas affected by this virus.

In Brazil alone, more than 1.5 million people have been infected with Zika, and more than 1,000 cases of microcephaly have been recorded since the outbreak began last year.

UN officials also warned in May that there was “a risk of Zika virus spreading in the European region”.

Thao Linh

(According to DW)