Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Threat of Zika Virus to the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic and Paralympic Games

2016; Springer Science+Business Media; Volume: 3; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1007/s40475-016-0076-0

2196-3045

Jill E. Weatherhead, Juliana da Silva, Kristy O. Murray,

Malaria Research and Control

The emergence of Zika virus (ZIKV) in the Americas has been met with growing concern in the midst of the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic and Paralympic games. This review aims to evaluate the precedence of other arboviruses epidemics in Brazil, historical precedence of large international events in the setting of mosquito-borne disease epidemics, and recent seasonal decrease in notified cases of ZIKV in Rio de Janeiro to determine the safety of proceeding with the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic and Paralympic games as scheduled. Since the 2013–2014 outbreak in French Polynesia, viral virulence, viral transmission dynamics, and subsequent disease states have evolved. The ZIKV epidemic in the Americas has been associated with viral adaptation to Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus leading to increased transmission efficacy and wider geographical distribution. This evolution has fueled concern regarding the upcoming Rio de Janeiro Olympics. However, the 2014 World Cup in Brazil did not result in increased spread of similar vector-borne diseases such as Chikungunya and Dengue viruses, and the 2016 Carnival held in Rio de Janeiro was not linked to further spread of ZIKV around the world. While many uncertainties remain regarding pathogenesis and transmission of ZIKV, minimal evidence exists to suggest that holding the Olympic and Paralympic games in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 will contribute to further spread of ZIKV globally. However, the CDC and WHO still recommend appropriate personal protective precautions for all international travelers to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro to minimize risks.