KUALA LUMPUR, July 8 — The National Sports Institute (ISN) has taken proactive measures to ensure athletes competing in the Rio de Janeiro Olympics will not be affected by the Zika virus.
“ISN will impose the guidelines issued by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Health Ministry as a prevention exercise.
“To prevent athletes from the dangers of mosquitoes, it will be compulsory for them to use mosquito repellent all the time,” ISN chief executive officer Dr Khairi Zawi told Bernama.
Khairi said the ISN would also sanitize the rooms of athletes in the Games Village when they are in Rio de Janeiro.
“Apart from using mosquito repellent, athletes will also be provided mosquito nets to avoid mosquito bites,” he said.
He said all athletes and officials heading to Rio would also be vaccinated.
The WHO in a statement had rejected calls to change the venue of the Olympics from Rio de Janeiro in Brazil to another location due to the Zika outbreak, a virus spread by the Aedes mosquito.
In rejecting the call, WHO said this would “not significantly alter” the spread of the virus, which is linked to serious birth defects.
About 150 leading scientists and doctors had in an open letter to the WHO, had said new findings about Zika made it “unethical” for the Games to go ahead.
According to a BBC news report, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) had said it sees no reason to delay or move the Games because of the mosquito-borne disease.
The outbreak began in Brazil a year ago, but now more than 60 countries and territories have continuing transmission.
Between February and April 2016, Brazil’s health ministry registered 91,387 likely cases of the Zika virus while the number of babies born with Zika-linked defects stood at 4,908 in April. — Bernama
