Zika virus panic overblown
Of all the questions I get asked about life in Rio de Janeiro, easily the most frequent is: how do you stay safe from Zika? Here’s my secret: I simply do what everyone else does – absolutely nothing.
No bug spray. No mosquito net. No panic. Because of all the problems that Rio 2016 has faced in getting ready for the Olympics – and there have been many – Zika barely rates.
I worry more about being mugged (an infrequent worry) or about the internet crashing yet again (a daily worry).
This is not to minimise the risk of Zika if you happen to be a woman who’s either pregnant, or plans to be soon, due to the harm Zika might be causing unborn babies. Since October last year, at least 1200 newborn babies have been confirmed with microcephaly, or abnormally small heads, resulting in brain damage – a condition believed to be caused in-utero by Zika, although there’s little scientific evidence proving the link.
So for pregnant woman, the concern is understandable. But for everyone else? Get over it.
Zika’s symptoms are by and large no worse than the common cold, albeit one with a rash and sore joints. Compared with dengue and chikungunya – spread by the same mosquito as Zika, and considerably worse in terms of symptoms – Zika really doesn’t sound so bad.
When the Olympics roll around in just over 50 days’ time, 500,000 foreigners are expected to flood into Rio, bags packed with DEET insect repellant and minds full of fear of being bitten.
How many will get Zika? Brace yourselves. The best estimate from experts is . . . between one and four, with the highest forecast being 16.
You’d have to be a very unlucky athlete to be one of the very few infected. Although its symptoms are minor, it would undoubtedly affect an elite sportsperson’s performance.
The chance of any athlete being pregnant during the Games is extremely low, but for those planning on it, post-Games, there might be some cause for concern as it’s not yet known how long the disease remains transmissible in the body.
New Zealand’s Ministry of Health urges women to use contraception during their stay, and those who are pregnant or plan to be soon should avoid Brazil full stop; men are urged to use contraception for the next six months, whether infected with Zika or not.
Three athletes have so far pulled out of the Games, and many others say they’re contemplating it. A British long-jumper is freezing his sperm, just in case.