Federal officials yesterday said that the Rio Games "are highly unlikely to spread Zika worldwide," according to Liz Szabo of USA TODAY. According to analysis from the CDC, visitors to Brazil will "have a relatively low risk of contracting the mosquito-borne illness because the Olympics will take place during winter in the Southern Hemisphere." The CDC said that only 19 of the more than 200 countries whose citizens are expected to visit Brazil for the Games "are vulnerable to Zika outbreaks." Szabo notes that is "because those countries don't yet have Zika outbreaks, but have climates and mosquito populations that could allow the virus to spread." But because most of those countries "already have so much travel to Zika-affected regions, the slight increase in travel to Brazil for the Olympics won't dramatically affect their risk." The CDC said that only four countries -- Chad, Djibouti, Eritrea and Yemen -- "have a major risk of Olympics-related Zika outbreaks" (USA TODAY, 7/14).
FAMILY FOCUS GROUP: In DC, Barry Svrluga noted the Rio Games could "potentially complicate family decision-making." Several NGBs have "taken steps to educate families about what may lie ahead in Rio." USA Swimming "offered 'webinars' to family members that supplied information about the best places to stay near the competition venue, about how the group handled past Olympics and what they planned for Rio." USA Swimming at the Olympic Trials also "had an office for families of qualified athletes to visit, and staff offered to take questions and concerns by email quickly and efficiently" (WASHINGTON POST, 7/13). In L.A., David Wharton noted the Brazilian government has granted an additional $26M to its armed forces "amid persistent concerns about safety" at the upcoming Games. Rio officials said that the money will "pay to increase the number of soldiers, police officers and other security personnel" stationed in the city to about 88,000. Wharton noted crime, civic unrest and a police strike "have made for troubling headlines in Rio this year" (LATIMES.com, 7/13).
