MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Nairobi may reconsider participating in the upcoming Olympic Games in Brazil due to the Zika infection outbreak, Kenya's National Olympic Committee Chairman Kipchoge Keino said Tuesday.
"We are relying on advice from health organizations in Rio, Brazil, to enable us make an informed decision. If the Zika virus is serious, then we will not attend the games. We will not expose our youths," Keino said, as quoted by the Kenyan Standard newspaper.
The Zika virus affects primarily monkeys and humans and is transmitted by daytime-active mosquitoes. Zika does not cause serious complications in adults, but it is suspected of leading to severe brain defects in newborns.
The current Zika outbreak started in Brazil in spring 2015. It has since spread across Latin America, allegedly causing several deaths. The first case of the Zika virus in Europe was confirmed in Denmark in January, followed by Sweden and Germany.
