Despite the warning, the president’s chief of staff on Monday also said Brazil will not call off the summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro because of the Zika virus outbreak.
Felipe Dana / AP
Brazil will not call off the summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro because of the Zika virus outbreak, but pregnant women should not travel to the event, the president's chief of staff said Monday.
"The risk, which I would say is serious, is for pregnant women," Jaques Wagner, chief of staff to President Dilma Rousseff, told reporters on Monday.
The Centers for Disease Control last month warned pregnant women from traveling to areas experiencing an outbreak of the virus.
Despite the warnings, Wagner said those who are not pregnant should not be afraid to attend the games when they go on as scheduled in August.
"We have to explain to those coming to Brazil, the athletes, that there is zero risk if you are not a pregnant woman," Wagner said.
The warning came on the same day the World Health Organization officially declared the outbreak a global health emergency. The virus, which may cause mild flu-like symptoms in some people, has been linked to birth defects, miscarriage, and stillborn infants. There is no vaccine or cure.
The International Olympic Committee has not commented on the crisis.
Wagner estimated researchers would create a vaccine within three to five years, the Associated Press reported.
A Brazilian health official also said Monday the outbreak is worse than previously believed, Reuters reported. About 80% of people infected with Zika show no symptoms, Health Minister Marcelo Castro said.
Mandatory reporting of Zika cases in Brazil is expected to begin soon, the AP reported. More than 1 million cases are estimated in Brazil.
More than half a million athletes, volunteers, staff, and spectators are expected to visit Rio for the Olympics.
LINK: The Latest Facts And Figures On The Zika Virus, Now A Global “Emergency”
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