Tara John
On May 27, fears of a mass
global outbreak of the Zika virus compelled 150 respected health
experts–including former White House science adviser Philip Rubin–to issue an
open letter saying “in the name of public health,” the Summer Olympics in Rio
should be relocated or delayed until the outbreak dies down. Their concern adds
to the growing chorus of voices expressing doubts that Brazil–in the midst of a
sea of crises–will be able to successfully pull off the first Olympics to be
held in South America.
ZIKA FEARS
The World Health Organization
played down concerns of an outbreak on May 28, saying there was “no
public-health justification” for postponing or canceling the Olympics because
of Zika. The mosquito-borne disease generally causes mild symptoms but has been
linked to microcephaly, a rare condition where babies are born with small heads
and severe developmental problems. With as many as 1.5 million estimated cases
of Zika last year in Brazil alone, many potential Olympians are worried.
Athletes including the Chicago Bulls’ Pau Gasol and Northern Irish golfer Rory
McIlroy are considering skipping the Games altogether.
POLITICAL PROBLEMS
A snowballing corruption
scandal has seen President Dilma Rousseff suspended, while interim President
Michel Temer has lost two Cabinet members to resignations. Brazil is also mired
in its worst recession since the 1930s, while struggling with protests and spiking
levels of violence, including the highly publicized gang rape of a 16-year-old
girl. On May 30, just over two months shy of opening ceremonies, the government
fired contractors working on the velodrome–already the most delayed of the
venues due to problems laying the track. And Olympians worry about competing in
Rio’s severely polluted waterways.
REASONS FOR HOPE
Last-minute panics are not new
to the Olympics; despite delays and doubts, the 2004 Games in Athens were seen
as a success. The majority of Zika infections occur far from Rio, in the
northeast, and mosquito transmission rates slow down in the southern
hemisphere’s winter months, when the Games are held. Most of the venues are
built, and after being beset by funding issues, the metro line linking Rio’s
beach areas to the Olympic park finally conducted its first test trip on May
23. Olympic officials are adamant that the Games go on, but with ticket sales
sluggish, one key question remains: Will people turn up?
Tara John, TIME,
June 13, 2016
Nenhum comentário:
Postar um comentário
Não publicamos comentários de anônimos/desconhecidos.
Por favor, se optar por "Anônimo", escreva o seu nome no final do comentário.
Não use CAIXA ALTA, (Não grite!), isto é, não escreva tudo em maiúsculas, escreva normalmente. Obrigado pela sua participação!
Volte sempre!
Abraços./-