Brazil Warns Pregnant Women Not to Travel to 2016 Olympics Because of Zika Virus

As a result of the Zika virus outbreak, Jaques Wagner, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff's chief of staff, warned pregnant women to avoid traveling to Brazil for the 2016 Summer Olympics.

"The risk, which I would say is serious, is for pregnant women," Wagner said, per the Agence France-Presse (via Yahoo News). "It is clearly not advisable for you (to travel to Rio de Janeiro for the Games in August) because you don't want to take that risk."

The advisory came Monday, the same day Dr. Margaret Chan, the World Health Organization's director-general, termed the Zika virus a "public health emergency of international concern." According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Zika virus is spreading throughout the Pan-American region.

"The lack of vaccines and rapid and reliable diagnostic tests, and the absence of population immunity in newly affected countries, were cited as further causes for concern," Chan wrote.

The Zika virus can cause microcephaly, which is when a baby is born with an abnormally small head due to lack of brain development. The CDC cited seizures, developmental delay, intellectual disability and other problems associated with microcephaly.

The Associated Press (via the Guardian) reported 3,893 Zika cases were detected by the Brazilian government between October and the middle of January.

"Eighty percent of the people infected by Zika do not develop significant symptoms," Brazilian health minister Marcelo Castro said in an interview with Reuters, per the Guardian's Jonathan Watts. "A large number of people have the virus with no symptoms, so the situation is more serious than we can imagine."

The 2016 Olympics have already been beset by a number of problems, including budgetary shortfalls, protests by residents in Rio de Janeiro and reported water pollution in areas that will be used for aquatic events.

The Zika outbreak is another issue with which Olympic officials will have to deal, and given the potentially severe risks of the virus, they should take every precaution necessary to protect the health of athletes and fans alike.