Over the next few weeks, the world’s greatest are pitted against each other in Rio de Janeiro. But should we be watching for something else?

Once every four years the eyes of the world fall upon one country as they host the “Greatest show on Earth.” The Olympics, which in its crudest form has been about since the Ancient Greeks, is this year being held in Rio de Janeiro. A city famous for its sandy beaches, compact favelas and the towering statue of Christ the Redeemer overseeing all that happens in Cidade Maravilhosa1. However, its citizens have recently come face-to-face with a terrifying new visitor; Zika.

First found in Ugandan monkeys in 1947, then in humans in 1952, Zika wasn’t a worry until earlier this year, when it spread rapidly through South America in the space of just a few months2. The virus is predominantly spread in a similar way to malaria; through the bite of female mosquitos, specifically the Aedes species which is particularly aggressive. There have also been a limited number of human-to-human transmissions, notably through sexual contact. Symptoms for Zika are either non-existent or mild, with a fever, rash, joint pain and conjunctivitis being the most prevalent symptoms, lasting up to a week3. In extremely rare cases, death occurs – usually due to the development of Guillian-Barré Syndrome, a sickness that damages the immune system4. However the major issue with the virus isn’t the week of feeling a little sick, but rather if it is contracted by a pregnant woman. This has been shown to cause the horrific birth defect of microcephaly5.

Microcephaly is the slowing, or stopping of development of the brain and head during pregnancy. Babies born with this affliction have a much smaller head than a normal baby, and for the lucky ones, this is where the issues stop. However, if Zika prevents the brain from developing at an early point in the fetus’ existence then a wide range of lifelong problems can afflict the child, including:

Seizures

Hearing and vision problems

Difficulty with feeding and movement

Decreased intellect and developmental delay

In the most severe of cases microcephaly can lead to death5. Development of a vaccine has been slow, but is on the horizon. Currently there is no cure for Zika, and so prevention of infection is key for now6.

With tens of thousands of athletes and spectators heading to Brazil over the coming weeks, the fear of Zika spreading outside of South America (excusing the few, isolated cases that have been identified in North America and Europe) and becoming a worldwide pandemic is a dark cloud over what is supposed to be a joyous celebration of the world’s best. Several notable competitors have dropped out of Rio 2016 over fears about the virus, including world number 3 golfer, Rory McIlroy7 and up-and-coming Canadian tennis player Milos Raonic8.

Whether or not our worst fears are confirmed and Zika becomes a worldwide problem remains to be seen. All we can do is keep our fingers crossed, and hope that this year’s Olympics aren’t remembered for being the starting point of a crisis.

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