World Health Organisation investigating whether or not to urge postponement of Rio Olympic Games in light of Zika threat

The World Health Organisation’s chief says she has convened an expert committee to consider whether the Rio de Janeiro Olympics should proceed as planned, following recent concerns raised about the threat of the Zika virus.

In a request last month, US Senator Jeanne Shaheen asked WHO director-general Dr Margaret Chan to evaluate whether the Rio Games should be delayed or postponed. Chan said in a letter released by Shaheen on Friday that WHO has sent senior scientists to Brazil four times to assess the risk of Zika to the approximately 500,000 athletes and visitors expected to attend the August 5-21 Olympics.

“Given the current level of international concern, I have decided to ask members of the Zika Emergency Committee to examine the risks of holding the Olympic Summer Games as currently scheduled,” Chan wrote.

Chan said she “deeply appreciate[d]” the concerns raised by Shaheen in her original letter to WHO last month, which cited a commentary by Canadian professor Amir Attaran. He argued that holding the Olympics as planned would result in the avoidable birth of brain-damaged babies.

Last month, Attaran and more than 200 other experts signed an open letter asking WHO to convene an independent group to consider if the Games should be delayed or moved “in the name of public health”. WHO rejected such calls and said “cancelling or changing the location of the 2016 Olympics [would] not significantly alter the international spread of Zika”.

Most people infected by Zika suffer only minor symptoms including fever, a rash and muscle or joint pain. The virus can also cause severe birth defects, including babies born with abnormally small heads.

WHO declared the Zika epidemic to be a global emergency in February and in its latest assessment this week, said it “does not see an overall decline in the outbreak”.