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OUT OF THE half million tourists expected at the Rio Olympics just one is expected to catch Zika, Brazil’s health minister said today.
However pregnant women should still keep away out of precaution, he said.
Facing international concern over Zika less than two months ahead of the Olympics, Health Minister Ricardo Barros told journalists that chances of catching the mosquito-carried virus in Rio de Janeiro will be almost zero.
He said:
The statistical forecast is that out of the 500,000 foreigners coming to the games in Rio, less than one tourist will be infected.
Barros said the figure was extrapolated from studies into the spread of dengue, a disease transmitted by the same mosquito, during Brazil’s hosting of the football World Cup in 2014, when three out of 1.4 million tourists were infected.
Despite Brazil’s reassurances, there is mounting international worry about Zika, which has spread rapidly across much of Latin America.
The symptoms
In most cases the symptoms are similar to a cold or flu and not dangerous, but pregnant women who contract Zika risk giving birth to children with severe defects, including an abnormally small head and brain.
In an added complication, there is limited, but growing evidence that Zika can be transmitted sexually.
International worry
Brazilian officials insist that the Olympics will be safe, because they take place in the southern hemisphere winter when mosquito numbers plummet. In addition sporting sites will be regularly fumigated.
However Barros said the World Health Organization’s call for pregnant women not to travel to Brazil is “a reasonable measure.”
The WHO issued an updated guideline this week also urging all women in Zika-affected areas to consider delaying pregnancy.
The Brazilian health ministry says that the Zika outbreak peaked in February with 16,059 cases, while in May the number was 87% down at 2,053.
Last month 150 scientists signed an appeal to the WHO to ask for moving or delaying the Olympics because of the risks of the still mysterious virus. Barros says Brazil rejects this as “having no scientific basis.”
However the crisis has become a public relations nightmare for Olympic organisers already trying to push back against fears of high crime in Rio and heavy pollution in the bay where sailing contests will take place.
“Brazil is on the front line of aiding and informing the public on this virus,” Barros said. “It’s not an alarming situation but we have to keep careful watch.”
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Never seen an episode
@ed w: How grown adults like fantasy nonsense is beyond me too.
@ed w: haven’t witnessed a great show So… and its a great drama that has you on the edge of your seat so what if it a fantasy
@Fionan MacKenna: 100′s of millions can’t be wrong
@ed w: Give it a go. You won’t regret it.
@Stan:
Fantasy is an escape from reality, anything is possible, the only limitation is ones imagination.
I would much prefer to watch Game of Thrones than big brother. I’m not a reality tv fan.
Fantasy and science fiction would be my favorite genres, then action and paranormal *not horror*.
@Lily: Comedy and sitcoms good too. RTE make no worthy comedy. Only reasonable show was the savage eye. UK sitcoms way better than American Friends big bang etc shite.
@ed w: I have but not on Sky, the wonders of an Android Box
@Paul Furey: 100′s of millions can be very wrong but surely its down to individual choice and taste. I wouldn’t be the biggest fan of “GoT” but to diss adults for liking fantasy isn’t right either. It’s an escape route from reality. To each their own!
@Joseph Dempsey: Care to share how u presumably, stream shows?
@Stan: kodi and the pulse build is all you need to Google
@Stan: download Showbox apk online (not play store) it has everything Netflix has and everything it doesn’t..
Sky is a rip off. Why is there no cheap way of phoning from here? It’s free to the North and UK to phone them but here there 0818 numbers cost fortune.
@Stan: if you have sky broadband you can phone for free
@Stan: I don’t think sky is a rip off at all. If you can’t afford it, saorview is free
@Michael Geraghty: They would use you on the next ad to spin that about cost. Leo would recruit you to his spin team too.
@Stan: pal it’s simple. If you think it’s a rip off don’t buy it. Plenty of others. If you can’t afford it. Use saorview. It’s a really basic point I’m making and nothing whatsoever to do with politics. U need a hobby
I’d be more inclined to think the increase in subscription is due to SKY working out how to block their channels from illegal card sharing boxes earlier this year and IPTV being useless for live sport.
Give us back Fox News!!
@Tristan Rowntree: Too right. Narrative hegemony is so dangerous
@Tristan Rowntree: agreed i miss it, just got comedy central and Dave now tp watch.
@Tristan Rowntree: I’m sure the negotiations for fox are the sling through the journal comments section looking for inspiration for their next multi million euro decision.
Kodi all the way
Pity they didn’t film it here – but we moaned about Schelig….
same over and over again….harry potter with stubble
Love them or hate them, Sky are the kings when it comes to television, they’re streets ahead of everyone else. Their phone and broadband isn’t bad either, and in fairness they’ll bend over backwards to keep you as a customer.
Looks crap.
@purple rain: Prince was crap
@Paul Furey: who ?
Virgin being such a useless shower of *@%$#@¥ is why i switched
have your say