Do not Skip Rio Olympics over Zika Virus fears, experts advise Kenyan athletes

Kenyan athletes should not cancel their trip to the Olympic games in Brazil in August over the Zika virus pandemic, medical scholars at the University Of Nairobi have advised.

Early this month, National Olympic Committee chair Kipchoge Keino had expressed concerns about participation in the Olympics, saying Kenyan athletes may skip it if the mosquito-borne virus gets out of hand.

But the meeting of experts convened to discuss the threat of Zika virus concluded that Kenyan athletes can safely participate in the games provided they take protective measures.

"However, team members and officials who are pregnant are strictly advised from travelling to Brazil and other areas where there is active transmission of the virus. The rest can go provided they protect themselves," said Prof Godfrey Lule of the Department of Medicine.

The virus is being associated with cases of serious defects of the brain in new-born babies (microcephaly) and a rare disease that causes body paralysis (Guillain-Barre).

Prof Lule said that protective measures include using insect repellent regularly, wearing clothes that cover as much of the body as possible; using physical barriers such as window screens, closed doors and nets among others.

Consultant Pathologist and Honorary Lecturer in the University of Nairobi Dr. Ahmed Kalebi said athletes and officials accompanying them should be screened upon their return from Brazil to check if they are infected with Zika virus and given appropriate help.

But Dr. Kalebi, who is also the CEO of Pathologists Lancet Laboratories, the only private lab in the region with the capacity to test for Zika virus, expressed concern that Zika virus strain ravaging Brazil and other Latin American countries is different from the one found in African countries, which Kenyans may be immune to.

"Currently, experts are not sure whether Kenyans and Africans are immune to the Zika strain that is active in Brazil. So extra vigilance is needed," he said.

He added: "It would be strongly advisable for Kenyan lady athletes going for the Olympics to consider taking pregnancy tests before travelling to avoid exposing their foetus to risks."

Dr. Florence Mwendwa, an Infectious Diseases expert in the UoN's Unit of Clinical and Infectious Diseases said the acute Zika infection causes a fairly mild illness with symptoms that last for 2-7 days, and many may be asymptomatic.

She indicated that sexual transmission of the virus though documented appears to be rare, saying out of the approximately 1.5 million cases of Zika reported worldwide, only a handful of cases have been linked to sex.

"The major concern over Zika is around the link with the serious brain malformations of children born to infected mothers, otherwise other people quickly recover from the disease. The World Health Organisation has also advised that athletes and fans should hold no fear about traveling to the Olympics since a lot is being done to counter the virus," she said.

Keino had said that Kenya would not risk the safety of its athletes if the outbreak reached "epidemic levels" and would not attend unless it received assurances that the virus did not pose a threat.

"We have made it clear that unless they clean the venues of this potentially dangerous disease, we will not go there," said Keino. "But if they assure us that things are in order and there is no risk to participants we will go."

Withdrawal of Kenya would be a major blow to the event, since Kenya boasts some of the best athletes for middle and long-distance. Kenya topped the medals table in last year's World Athletic Championship.