Malaysia To Take Advice From IOC, WHO On Zika Virus Issue

KUALA LUMPUR, May 30 (Bernama) -- Malaysia will only follow the advice from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and World Health Organisation (WHO) regarding the Zika virus issue that hit the Olympic Games host country, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) president Tunku Imran Tuanku Jaafar said that he believed the hosts would be safe for all athletes and the organising committee has taken major steps to address this matter. "We will take our lead and advice from the IOC and WHO. The independent doctors can say what they like but I think we will find that Brazil and Rio in particular is going to be on top of the Zika virus issue. "What I would advise is Rio probably will be very, very safe but those who are travelling outside Rio, they have to be very careful," he told reporters when met at the 25th SportExcel anniversary. The prestigious Olympic Games is scheduled to be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from Aug 5 to 21 2016. WHO, in a current statement, has rejected a call to move or postpone the Rio Olympic Games over the Zika outbreak. WHO said that it would "not significantly alter" the spread of the virus, which is linked to serious birth defects. On Saturday, 150 international scientists, doctors and medical ethicists from such institutions wrote an open letter to the WHO calling for the games in Rio de Janeiro in August to be moved or delayed due to the virus. Between February and April 2016, Brazil's health ministry registered 91,387 likely cases of the Zika virus. The number of babies born with Zika-linked defects stood at 4,908 in April. --BERNAMA