WHO Officially Warns Pregnant Women About Olympic Travel
by Daniel McCarthy /Photo:
The World Health Organization (WHO) issued a statement on Thursday officially warning pregnant woman not to travel to Brazil for the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
WHO said a “scientific consensus that Zika virus is a cause of microcephaly” makes the games, which take place in Rio de Janeiro from Aug. 5 to Sept. 18, a risk, even though it is Brazil’s winter, when there are fewer mosquitos.
Anyone traveling to Rio is advised to “protect themselves from mosquito bites by using insect repellents and by wearing clothing,” practice safe sex, and “avoid visiting impoverished and over-crowded areas in cities and towns with no piped water and poor sanitation