One hundred and fifty distinguished scientists, physicians and bioethicists from around the world posted a letter to the World Health Organization, urging the organization to put pressure on Olympic officials either to move the Olympics and Paralympics from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, or to delay the games due to the public health crisis over the Zika virus.
This summer, Brazil will be simultaneously hosting the Olympics and the Paralympics as well as trying to fight the rapidly evolving mosquito-borne epidemic.
The authors of the letter estimated about 500,000 foreign tourists from around the world would arrive in Rio. This could create a risk of individuals becoming infected and returning home to places where the virus could develop into an epidemic due to poor public health infrastructure.
The letter includes 10 scientists from Penn, including Steven Joffe, vice chair of medical ethics and associate professor of pediatrics.
“It is really out of control and yet in a couple of months Rio is having one of the biggest international events that happens in the world,” Joffe said. “Bringing a half a million people to the epicenter of the epidemic is a serious concern to the people coming to the event as well as the broader population of the world.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, anyone who lives in or travels to an area where the virus is found can get it from mosquito bites, but it can also spread through sexual contact.
Zika infections in pregnant woman can pass the virus to the fetus during pregnancy. Zika is a cause of microcephaly, a condition in which a baby’s head is significantly smaller than expected, often due to abnormal brain development. The virus has also been linked to neurological disorders in adults.
“The health threats of the Zika virus are not completely understood but are definitely quite serious,” Joffe said. As the opening day of the Olympics comes closer, scientists are learning more about the virus. The letter noted that Brazil’s Zika strain has more serious health consequences than researchers previously knew.
As of now, there are no specific treatments or vaccines currently available for the Zika virus.
The letter also calls for the WHO to assemble an independent group of expert advisors to inform the International Olympic Committee about how to best deal with the virus during the Games.
The WHO and the International Olympic Committee have had a long collaboration. According to Joffe, the independent agency the scientists suggest would be able to autonomously advise the Olympic committee.
“The question is is the WHO truly independent?” Joffe noted. “Obviously the Olympic authorities wants the Games to go forward but is the WHO able to make an independent judgement here for the best public interest of the world? Or is the organization conflicted due to its relationship with the Olympic Committee?”
The International Olympic Commission stood firm that the Games will go forward as planned. Earlier this summer, the WHO encouraged athletes and travelers who are planning to travel to Rio for the competitions to take precautionary measures to protect against infection.
U.S. officials are already starting a large effort to protect American athletes from Zika, such as protective living and clothing arrangements, according to the Washington Post.
The day after the scientists had posted the letter, the WHO said there was no public health justification for postponing or canceling the Games. Based on its latest assessment, the WHO said, “cancelling or changing the location of the 2016 Olympics will not significantly alter the international spread of the Zika Virus.”
“I think it [the WHO’s response] was dismissive,” Joffe said. “It did not convey the seriousness and consideration that the letter calls for.”
The Zika Virus has spread to about 60 countries and territories, including Puerto Rico. In February, the WHO declared the spread of Zika in the Americas to be a global emergency.
As of now, the original four authors are trying obtain additional signatures, according to Joffe, but there are no known additional plans for the hundred experts after the letter has been published.
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