Public Health Experts Want 2016 Rio Olympics Moved Due to Zika Virus Concerns

A group of 125 public health experts sent a letter to World Health Organization director Dr. Margaret Chan to urge delaying or moving the 2016 Summer Olympics from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil due to concerns about the Zika virus.

Gillian Mohney of ABC News passed along details from the group, which includes scientists, doctors and medical ethicists. They believe the issue could have a negative impact on the individuals traveling to the region for the Games:

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Currently, many athletes, delegations, and journalists are struggling with the decision of whether to participate in the Rio 2016 Games. We agree with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control recommendation that workers should 'Consider delaying travel to areas with active Zika virus transmission.' If that advice were followed uniformly, no athlete would have to choose between risking disease and participating in a competition that many have trained for their whole lives.

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The group cited numbers from the Brazilian government, including 120,000 probable Zika cases, as part of the reasoning. There have also been 1,300 confirmed cases of microcephaly, a birth defect that can occur if a pregnant woman is infected.

NYU Division of Medical Ethics director Art Caplan, one of the experts involved in the letter, told ABC News one of the biggest concerns when bringing people from around the world together is that the virus can be taken back to areas that hadn't previously been infected.

"We're worried about bringing the mosquito back to places it isn’t, like India," Caplan said. "You have people who will be infected and ... there are people literally coming from everywhere."

Sandee LaMotte of CNN provided further details about Zika, noting it's a flavivirus from the same family as yellow fever and West Nile virus. The Aedes aegypti mosquito transmits the virus, which does not yet have a preventable vaccine or medication to treat an active case.

United States women's national soccer team goalkeeper Hope Solo has been outspoken about the issue in the months leading up to the Games. Matthew J. Belvedere of CNBC noted earlier this month she's decided to go "begrudgingly" after stating back in February she might skip the event.

"I strongly believe that no athlete should be put into this position—to decide between your Olympic dreams and your own health," Solo said on CNBC's Squawk Box.

She added: "I'm not sure I'm even going to be leaving the hotel room, outside of practice."

The BBC passed along a statement from International Olympic Committee medical director Richard Budgett in early May:

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The clear statements from WHO that there should be no restrictions on travel and trade means there is no justification for canceling, delaying, postponing or moving the Rio Games.

The IOC will continue to monitor the situation very closely and work with the WHO, and we're confident as we've been advised by the experts that the situation will improve over the next three months.

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Unless the IOC and WHO reverse course, the Opening Ceremony for the 2016 Summer Olympics will take place Aug. 5 in Rio.