There are five months left until the opening ceremony for the Summer Olympics in Rio. This will be a day where Brazil showcases its culture to the world. The opening ceremony is where the host country typically displays its artistic achievements along with its athletic achievements. This ceremony takes years of planning and costs millions of dollars. For the 2012 Summer Olympics, England spent £27m, or roughly $30m. For the 2008 Summer Olympics, China spent around $100m. Needless to say, the host countries spend a ridiculous amount of money on the ceremony, but it is just a fraction of what the country will spend on the Olympics itself. To host the games is a huge ceremony and one that brings great pride to a country. The 2016 Summer Olympics should bring great pride to Brazil as the greatest athletes in the world compete for the title of best in the world. However, there is one problem: the outbreak of the Zika virus has threatened to cancel the Olympics. And it should.
The Zika virus is a virus that can be transmitted in many ways, including sexually and during pregnancy. However, the most common version of transmission is via mosquito bite. It is primarily transmitted by the Aedes Aegypti female mosquito, a diurnal mosquito that is primarily located in South America. While most people with Zika do not show symptoms, birth defects are very common in babies conceived by parents who are infected with the disease. Most of the time, these parents are unaware that they carry the disease. Zika's most common symptoms are pain in the eyes, joint and muscle pain, fatigue throughout their entire body, fever, chills, loss of appetite, excessive sweating, vomiting, rash or severe headache. There is no vaccine or cure for this disease. The only known cure is to rest and let the disease run its course. Zika is a very dangerous disease and one that should not be taken lightly.
Brazil has recently announced that they will take the necessary steps in order to create a Zika-free space for the Olympic Venue sites. Frankly, though, I don't see how this would be possible, because there is no way to completely eliminate the existence of mosquitoes. If anyone found a way, I’m sure the entire world would be grateful--but that doesn't seem likely. I don't know what Brazil is planning, but it seems that this is out of their control. The only way for this outbreak to end is for either a vaccine and cure to be found, or for it to run its course.
Until the outbreak ends, however, it does not seem reasonable or safe to hold the Olympics this year. While it would be extremely disappointing for everyone, the health of the world’s greatest athletes is more important than entertainment. Olympic athletes are the absolute pinnacle of athletic success. To be an Olympian, you must be one of the greatest athletes in your sport. To win Olympic gold means you are truly the best in your sport. These people have trained their entire lives for this opportunity to compete, and it does not seem right to risk their health because a country does not want to postpone a sporting event for one year. If the Zika outbreak does not cease or a vaccine is not found, Brazil must take it upon itself to do the right thing and postpone the games until 2017.
