Delaying Rio Games would give ‘false security’ on Zika: WHO panel head

By Stephanie Nebehay GENEVA (Reuters) – Postponing the Rio Olympics due to fears that the event could speed the spread of the Zika virus would give a “false” sense of security because travelers are constantly going in and out of Brazil, the head of the World Health Organization's emergency committee said. More than 100 medical experts and scientists called last Friday for the Rio Games to be postponed or moved due to fears over the spread of the virus, which is linked to serious birth defects.. The WHO rejected their call. Extensive travel in a globalized world is the issue, not the Games that start on August 5, said David Heymann, chair of the Health Protection Agency in Britain who also leads the WHO panel of independent experts on Zika.

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Delaying Rio Games would give ‘false security’ on Zika: WHO panel head