ID :
410973
Thu, 06/30/2016 - 10:39
Auther :

Rio-Bound Athletes, Officials Must Avoid Mosquito Bites - Health Ministry

KUALA LUMPUR, June 30 (Bernama) -- The Health Ministry has advised all Rio de Janeiro Olympics bound athletes to take necessary preventive measures before departing to the South American country next month. The Ministry's Vector Borne Disease Sector (Disease Control Division) head, Dr Rose Nani Mudin said among precautions are to be equipped with mosquito repellent, long sleeve shirts and necessary clothes to cover their body from possible mosquito bites. "They (athletes) have to avoid mosquito bites and going to the endemic places. If they have symptoms and signs (of Zika), they must report to the National Sports Council (NSC) supervisor immediately. "The other precaution is to monitor their surroundings and be aware of signs and how the virus is transmitted from one individual to another so as to take all the preventive measures," she told Bernama. Dr Rose Nani was met after a special briefing on the Zika outbreak for athletes and officials heading to Rio de Janeiro, at the National Sports Institute (NSI) here Thursday. She said 61 countries were affected by Zika as of June 23 and Malaysia is still safe from any possible infection of Zika, a virus transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, the same type of mosquito that spreads dengue, chikungunya and other viruses to humans. Experts said symptoms of the deadly Zika virus are not severe and include a rash, headache and joint pain, while the virus has been linked to microcephaly in newborn babies and in some cases the muscle-weakening disease Guillain-Barre syndrome in adults. Dr Rose Nani further explained that all visitors to Brazil are advised to adhere to the World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines on the deadly virus, including practicing safe sex. "Among WHO guidelines are pregnant women should avoid travelling to Brazil, have safe sex, which means using condoms while in Brazil and eight weeks after coming back. "If their partners are pregnant, they should abstain sexual intercourse or have safe sex to prevent any possible infection because anyone who is infected would not know they are infected," she said. Meanwhile, Brazil's Minister of Health, Ricardo Barros in a statement through its embassy in Kuala Lumpur said that with less than two months for the Olympics, the country's healthcare system was duly prepared for the big moment. "Brazil is expected to welcome representatives from around 200 countries and 500,000 international tourists. With preventive actions in place against the Aedes aegypti, 24/7 monitoring in the six cities hosting the games and trained professionals who are qualified to attend to emergencies, protecting the health of Brazilians and tourists is a priority to the federal government. "The circulation of the Zika virus, will not hinder us from having a safe and unforgettable event for athletes, participants and spectators. The risks are minimal where a study published by the University of Cambridge has forecast less than one case of infection among 500,000 tourists. "WHO specialists corroborated on June 14 that the risk of propagation for the disease was very low. During the games, trips to Rio will represent 0.25 per cent of all travel to Zika-affected areas, according to the United States' CDC and overall, the virus is already circulating in 60 countries, and Brazil represents 15 percent of the exposed population," he said. Barros said the mobilisation to fight mosquitoes, like home visits and public investment in monitoring and prevention, have caused an early fall of Zika rates, a 87 percent drop in infection cases between February and May this year. "During the preparation phase, 51 test events were held and monitored by the Ministry of Health but there was no case of infection. Since May 3, the Olympic Torch has passed through more than 100 cities, and not a single case has been reported either," he said. He said measures to fight Aedes aegypti were still on going with a backup of three thousand health agents in Rio and the South American country will be experiencing winter, where the spread of virus will be minimal, Barros said. -- BERNAMA

X