Rio Olympics 2016: Brazil Announces Zika Virus Countermeasures for Safety of Athletes & Spectators

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It's only a few months before the highly anticipated 2016 Summer Olympics will be hosted in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. However, with the recent outbreak of the dreaded Zika virus, the country has released its countermeasures for the safety of athletes, participants and spectators, BBC reports.

According to the news outlet, the Brazilian Ministry of Health has released its plan to prevent the spread of Zika virus in the 2016 Summer Olympics, which will be held in August. The countermeasures to eradicate the virus-carrying mosquitoes include inspection of facilities four months before the events as well as fumigation. However, the latter will only be implemented in special cases as the athlete and visitor's health may be affected by the fumigation. Also, the publication adds that during the event, Brazil has planned to conduct daily sweeping.

"The Olympic and Paralympic venues will be inspected on a daily basis," said Philip Wilkinson, a spokesman for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio as quoted by Reuters.

Quartz notes that a month before the 2016 Summer Olympics, the Brazilian government will conduct a trial run to ensure that things will go smoothly. Brazilian authorities also noted that because August is a drier month, the number of mosquitos, which may spread the Zika virus, will lessen in number. Thus, the possibility of people contracting it will be fewer.

The Zika virus, as per BBC, is carried by the Aedes aegypti mosquito and has been linked to microcephaly or newborn babies born with abnormally small heads. The said species of mosquito is also responsible in carrying other diseases like dengue and yellow fever. Around 3,500 cases of microcephaly, which is 30 times bigger than the number of cases in 2010, have been reported in Brazil, per Reuters.

Symptoms of the Zika virus include fever and rash and there's no vaccine to combat the disease, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). For those traveling to Zika-infected countries such as Brazil, CDC advises them to use insect repellents, wear long-sleeved clothes and long pants, use air conditioning and not store stagnant water in your accommodation.

A spokesman from the British Olympic Association said that its medical team has been working with the London School of Tropical Medicine to observe the situation and ensure that participants will be "given the most up-to-date travel medicine advice, which includes information on bite prevention strategies."

Reuters reports that Brazil is expecting approximately 500,00 in Rio during the 2016 Summer Olympics.