Call to cancel 2016 Olympics because of Zika risk is not backed by WHO guidance
BMJ 2016; 353 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.i2899 (Published 20 May 2016) Cite this as: BMJ 2016;353:i2899
All rapid responses
Rapid responses are electronic comments to the editor. They enable our users to debate issues raised in articles published on bmj.com. A rapid response is first posted online. If you need the URL (web address) of an individual response, simply click on the response headline and copy the URL from the browser window. A proportion of responses will, after editing, be published online and in the print journal as letters, which are indexed in PubMed. Rapid responses are not indexed in PubMed and they are not journal articles. The BMJ reserves the right to remove responses which are being wilfully misrepresented as published articles or when it is brought to our attention that a response spreads misinformation.
From March 2022, the word limit for rapid responses will be 600 words not including references and author details. We will no longer post responses that exceed this limit.
The word limit for letters selected from posted responses remains 300 words.
The Olympic Games are a very popular but also vulnerable global event and thus intrinsically raise the expectations of the international community on all aspects of preparedness, including public health1. Coombes reports that the WHO statement advised athletes and visitors travelling to the Olympic Games in Rio to practise safe sex, choose air conditioned accommodation, use insect repellent, and wear light coloured clothing that covers as much of the body as possible2.
Nevertheless, there is not in the Brazilian market repellents with ≥20% DEET as CDC recommends3. Repellents directions are written in a way that we cannot read their small and out of focus letters. In general, higher concentrations of active ingredient provide longer duration of protection and longer reapplication intervals. Regarding Aedes, DEET at concentration of 20% or more, provides up to 10 h protection4. Combining DEET and permethrin-impregnated clothing enhances protection against biting arthropods. Generally, clothing that is treated with the 0.5% permethrin aerosol or pump spray is effective at preventing arthropod bites for at least two weeks5. Meanwhile, these products are not available in Brazil either. To avoid arthropod-borne diseases, repellents should be purchased before and clothing must be treated in advance of traveling to Brazil. Despite the precautions recommended in this letter, it is time to light the Olympic cauldron in Rio.
1 Igreja RP. Olympics in the Tropics and Infectious Diseases. CID 2010; 50:616-17.
2 Coombes R. Call to cancel 2016 Olympics because of Zika risk is
not backed by WHO guidance. BMJ 2016;353:i2899 doi: 10.1136/bmj.i2899.
3 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Zika virus. 2016. 24 May 2016.
www.cdc.gov/zika.
4 Lupi E, Hatz C, Schlagenhauf P. The efficacy of repellents against Aedes,
Anopheles, Culex and Ixodes spp. – A literature review. Travel Med Infect Dis 2013; 11:374-411
5 Committee to Adviseon TropicalMedicineand Travel (CATMAT). An Advisory
Committee Statement (ACS): Statement on personal protective measures to prevent arthropod bites – uptodate. Canada Communicable Disease Report 2005; 31:1-20.
Competing interests: No competing interests
Re: Call to cancel 2016 Olympics because of Zika risk is not backed by WHO guidance
Shoes and bags need disinfection to prevent Zika infected mosquito transmission
Zika viral spread during the Olympics in Brazil is not a threat to conductig the events in its capital. But precautions should be taken by participants in preventing the spread and acquiring of Zika viral infection. To prevent mosquito transmission to their home towns all the shoes and bags should be disinfected before depature and on arrival.
Competing interests: No competing interests