Authorities fear athletes returning from Rio may spread Zika virus
By Park Si-soo
The Rio Olympics are coming to a close. And waiting here to greet Korean athletes returning from the Brazilian city will be people filled not with joy, praise and open arms, but with fear: quarantine officers.
More than 800 athletes will be classified as “possible spreaders” of the Zika virus and will undergo thorough health checks when they arrive.
Support staff, journalists and cheer squad members from the Zika-infected region will also be subject to a checkup, regardless of whether or not they show symptoms of the virus that causes microcephaly and other birth defects.
“We are afraid that they (athletes from Rio) could bring the Zika virus into the country,” said an official at the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). “Thankfully, the Olympics were held when Brazil is not in the mosquito season. Nevertheless we won’t let our guard down for a while.”
Authorities would therefore ensure that all participants at the Olympics undergo a checkup, said the officer. The KCDC will also add them to its monitoring list for at least one month because the Zika virus’s incubation period could last more than 20 days.
Meanwhile, Korea confirmed its 10th Zika virus case on Saturday. The man, 35, visited Thailand on Aug. 8. He is in stable condition and is being treated at a Seoul hospital, according to the KCDC.