VOTE: Should the Olympics be Cancelled?

Question: Should the Olympics be cancelled?

Origin of Zika Virus Outbreak in Brazil May Be Linked to Major Sporting Events

Scientists have traced the Zika virus spreading through the Western Hemisphere to a strain from French Polynesia. The virus was first confirmed in this hemisphere in Brazil last May, but quickly spread leading to more than 1 million estimated cases in Brazil by the end of 2015.

In a research paper, scientists said the outbreak might have been linked to major sporting events that brought together thousands of people across the globe to Brazil.

“It is very likely an infected traveler from French Polynesia that traveled to Brazil was likely the source of the Brazilian invasion,” Dr. Peter Armbruster, professor of biology at Georgetown University, who was not involved in that study, told ABC News. “Whether it is someone associated with the [World Cup], we do not know for sure.”

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/zika-virus-update-31-people-us-infected-houston/story?id=36597002

Arirish beat me to this and I wanted to make a poll question for this.  Good job Arirish and I apologize for hijacking your topic. 

Please feel free to vote and share your opinion.

Arirish I'll probably merge your thread to this one. 

I would normally say yes, it should be cancelled, but Brazil has spent billions on Olympic preparations, preparations that are utterly useless otherwise. If it is cancelled, then there will be riots. This could lead to further instability in a country that has  had a shrinking economy for decades.

tiger_deF wrote: I would normally say yes, it should be cancelled, but Brazil has spent billions on Olympic preparations, preparations that are utterly useless otherwise.

This is the exact reason why the WHO emergency meeting is a waste of time.  They most likely will not issue travel restrictions, and will probably issue no warning to travelers of which may prevent or deter them from attending.   Too much money at stake.   This will ultimately end with Chan's resignation about 12 months afterwards when people have forgotten about the games and have seen the damage it caused. 

The world attendance will be very low for the summer games and very little doubt about that.  There would have to be a joint world effort to reimburse Brazil for the cost in order to cancel. 

This is going to raise a lot of controversy soon and I see a huge conflict in the making between the CDC and WHO before this is over.   The CDC will think it's insane not to cancel.   Although, if Obama starts hyping the games we'll see Fauci right in there like with Ebola backing him.

I'm saying No, don't cancel. We're all adults. If you choose to go then you take the risk with your own health, and that of your loved ones should it prove to be transmitted human to human. In order to justify cancelling the olympics, you would have to do a blanket travel ban, and after the whole Ebola thing last year, we all know that will never happen. 

Remember, once bitten the person will travel back to their own country, and there is a chance they can sexually transmit it,  or that they transmit  it to their mosquito population. 

My only two questions before declaring a pandemic and cancelling the games would be, are asymptomatic cases infectious silent carriers and can they infect others?  And can you get the Zika virus twice?  

If Asymptomatic carriers can infect others, they would have to cancel the games.  The global spread would be off the charts.   If that's the case, it would almost become a rarity to not have a malformed baby a couple years from now.  Example, some guy goes home sleeps with a few women not knowing he's infected, and those women do the same, etc....  Sorry JD if that scenario hit home with you man. 

My question is: if a woman has Zika, and then recovers, will she be able to have a healthy baby or not? If the answer is not, then the human race is doomed. 

KiwiMum wrote: My question is: if a woman has Zika, and then recovers, will she be able to have a healthy baby or not? If the answer is not, then the human race is doomed.

I was wondering the same thing. I am only 26, and not in the biggest rush to have kids yet. I want to be financially stable first and out of grad school. I wonder what the risk factor of having birth defects is for people infected, but have kids years after. Also, I wonder if it's more common in poorer areas to have the heavy birth defects and if prenatal vitamins and early treatment could help. (I'm falling behind in the discussion.)

jacksdad wrote: Albert wrote: Sorry JD if that scenario hit home with you man.  My wife says she's going to swing by your place and "pay you a visit". Not sure what that means, or why she had a "tone" when she said it. Odd. That's good though, because for some reason my rifle isn't where I left it and it'll give me a chance to look for it while she's up there. Wonder where that went? And the new box of ammo. Strange...

lol.... cracks me up.  I knew when I said that it could come back to haunt me.  I remembered the wife telling you a long time ago that you were spending too much time here (i think), so I figured she stays away from here and wouldn't see that.   Sure hope I was right about that.   Hell knows no furry like a woman's scorn.  Got my survival kit by the door and I'll probably head to the mountains for a few days.  
Upsetting any woman is a golden rule not to break.  People will never realize that women are the ones in charge. 

Not a chance of that.  Learned that lesson early on.   

You younger women are asking the right question will the virus stay in your body and affect your future pregnancy. I worry about any children my son may have in the future.

From what I have heard from GMA's Dr. Besser he says you should be safe after the virus leaves your body in 2-3 weeks. I am not sure they know yet and I bet you can get this virus more than once. I can get the flu more than once, noro virus more than once, a cold more than once. This is all iffy!

I posted an article recently, which cited that one sporting event in Brazil caused this entire outbreak of 1 mill cases.  Just one large soccer event started it all.   They say 4 million cases in the Americas, but there will be millions worldwide after the Olympics, which takes place in the peak of summer. 

FluMom wrote: You younger women are asking the right question will the virus stay in your body and affect your future pregnancy. I worry about any children my son may have in the future. From what I have heard from GMA's Dr. Besser he says you should be safe after the virus leaves your body in 2-3 weeks. I am not sure they know yet and I bet you can get this virus more than once. I can get the flu more than once, noro virus more than once, a cold more than once. This is all iffy!

Agreed FluMom, I would like to find a suitor and settle down and work on some youngins within the next 5 years or less since I will have my master's at the end of the year if all goes well. That's why I'd like to know if my kids would be at risk. I hope the dr is right, and that's true, you can get colds, etc more than once so I wonder if that'd be the same.