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Nearly half a million people are expected to visit for the
Games, many from the United States. Worries about security, the
Zika virus and an economic crisis could deter travelers, with
just under a third of event tickets as yet unsold.
Brazil has been hardest hit by the disease outbreak, and many
physicians, competitors and potential visitors have expressed
fears the Olympics could serve as a catalyst to spread the virus
globally.
"We feel that the risk of Zika infection is low for an
individual, and it is manageable," Margaret Chan, director
general of the world health body, told reporters in the Chinese
capital.
"As long as individuals take appropriate personal protective
measures, including the use of a mosquito repellent, including
wearing clothing that prevents mosquito bites," she added.
The WHO assessment factored in the latest understanding of the
disease and actions taken by Brazil, said Chan, adding that she
would be going to the games in Rio de Janeiro.
There is currently no vaccine or treatment for Zika, which is
spread primarily through the bite of an infected mosquito,
although it can also spread through sexual transmission.
Chan made a plea for Games visitors to use condoms.
"When you go to Brazil, to Rio, practice safe sex, please use
condoms," she added.
"Of course, we also have learnt from the latest evidence it's
not just infected men who can pass the disease to their sex
partners. There was a case of a lady passing the disease to a
man, so it can go both directions."
Global health officials are racing to better understand the Zika
virus which has spread to many countries in the Americas.
The WHO says there is strong scientific consensus that Zika is a
cause of the birth defect microcephaly, or small heads in
babies, as well as Guillain-Barre syndrome, a neurological
disorder.
(Story corrects paragraph 1 to say "Rio de Janeiro", not
"Brazilian capital".)
(Reporting by Winni Zhou and Ben Blanchard; Editing by Clarence
Fernandez)
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