WHO Rejects Plea To Move 2016 Olympic Summer Games Due To Zika Virus Threats

Despite the Zika Virus scare, the World Health Organization says there is "no public health justification" to warrant the postponing or canceling of the Rio Summer Olympics because of the Zika outbreak in Brazil.

More than 100 lead scientists wrote an open letter to the WHO saying that new findings about the Zika virus will make it very "unethical" for the Summer Games to go as planned. They also said that the global health body should review its guidelines for Zika.

The Guardian said that the open letter was a warning which came as the Olympic torch made its way around the largest country in Latin America. It has already passed the 100-day countdown to the opening ceremony. "The fire is already burning, but that is not a rationale not to do anything about the Olympics," said Amir Attaran, a professor at the University of Ottawa who is one of the letter's authors. "It is not the time now to throw more gasoline on to the fire."

The open letter noted recent scientific evidence that the virus causes severe birth defects, most particularly babies born with abnormally small heads (microcephaly). The virus can also cause neurological problems, including a rare syndrome that can be fatal or result in temporary paralysis in adults, NBC News reported.

The letter's author also cited that even though there have been increasing efforts to eradicate these mosquitoes that spread the Zika, the number of infection in the countries' capital, Rio de Janeiro have gone up instead of going down. Experts came from more than two dozen countries in fields including public health, bioethics and pediatrics, and included former White House science adviser Dr. Philip Rubin.

In a statement quoted by the BBC, the WHO said: "Brazil is one of almost 60 countries and territories which to date report continuing transmission of Zika by mosquitoes. "People continue to travel between these countries and territories for a variety of reasons. The best way to reduce risk of disease is to follow public health travel advice."

However, according to a BBC News report, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has said that it sees no reason why the Games should be delayed or moved because of the mosquito-borne disease. The Olympics Summer Games will happen between August 5 and 21 in the nation's capital, Rio de Janeiro.