Tag: olympics

  • Delaying Rio Games would give ‘false security’ on Zika: WHO panel head

    By Stephanie Nebehay GENEVA (Reuters) – Postponing the Rio Olympics due to fears that the event could speed the spread of the Zika virus would give a “false” sense of security because travelers are constantly going in and out of Brazil, the head of the World Health Organization's emergency committee said. More than 100 medical…

  • Djokovic urges wider concern over Zika

    By Pritha Sarkar PARIS (Reuters) – Novak Djokovic urged people to think about Brazilians who are having to live with the Zika outbreak on a daily basis rather than worrying about how the situation might affect those traveling to the country for the Rio Olympics in August. The World Health Organization (WHO) rejected a call…

  • CDC cautions pregnant women against travel to Rio Olympics

    Pregnant women should consider not traveling to the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil due to the risk of Zika virus infection, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Friday. CDC also said women considering becoming pregnant, and their male partners, should exercise caution if they travel to the Olympics or Paralympic Games,…

  • Australia sends relief ship to Fiji in wake of Cyclone Winston

    Australia is sending a relief ship to Fiji to assist in the recovery effort after Cyclone Winston, the worst ever recorded in the southern hemisphere, tore through the island nation last Saturday, as the sheer scale of the disaster becomes clearer. The death toll from the category five storm remains at 42, according to a…

  • WHO chief ‘confident’ Olympics will be safe despite Zika

    Brasília (AFP) – The head of the World Health Organization expressed confidence that Brazil can host the Rio Olympics safely despite the Zika threat, while warning of a long battle against the mosquito-borne virus. Margaret Chan praised the Brazilian government's efforts to stamp out mosquitoes and its coordination with various international bodies, including the WHO…