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Over 100 top health experts think the Rio Olympics should be postponed because of Zika

Raoni Vieira from Pataxo tribe takes part in the Olympic Flame torch relay in Porto Seguro, Bahia state, Brazil, May 19, 2016.
Raoni Vieira from Pataxo tribe takes part in the Olympic Flame torch relay in Porto Seguro, Bahia state, Brazil, May 19, 2016.

Andre Mourao/Courtesy of Rio2016/Handout via Reuters

LONDON (Reuters) - More than 100 health experts have called for the Rio Olympic Games to be postponed or moved because of the threat to public health from Brazil's Zika virus outbreak, according to a public letter published online.

"Our greater concern is for global health," the letter says.

"The Brazilian strain of Zika virus harms health in ways that science has not observed before. An unnecessary risk is posed when 500,000 foreign tourists from all countries attend the Games, potentially acquire that strain, and return home to places where it can become endemic."

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The letter was signed by 150 people identified as health experts — including representatives from Oxford, Yale, and Harvard — and was sent to the head of the World Health Organization (WHO). It was published at online here. 

WHO has already rejected the call. The BBC reports that that the health body, which has declared the Zika virus a global public health emergency, says the games would "not significantly alter" the spread of the virus.

Zika has mild symptoms in adults but causes significant birth defects, most famously abnormally small heads. It is also linked to sometimes fatal neurological syndromes in adults.

The WHO says in a statement, as reported by the BBC: "Brazil is one of almost 60 countries and territories which to date report continuing transmission of Zika by mosquitoes.

"People continue to travel between these countries and territories for a variety of reasons. The best way to reduce risk of disease is to follow public health travel advice."

The Rio Olympics start on August 5. The games have already been beset with planning issues, with Olympic organisers reportedly approaching London officials in 2014 to ask if the Games could be held here in an emergency if Brazil fails to prepare in time.

There have also been local protests over economic conditions, with a feeling among many Brazilians that the games are taking precedent ahead of their own needs. And Brazil is mired in a political crisis, with President Dilma Rousseff accused of intentionally concealed the size of the country’s budget deficit.

(Editing by Andrew Heavens)

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