A Brazilian Army soldier distributes pamphlets with information to combat the Aedes aegypti mosquito during the National Day of Mobilization Zika Zero at Central train station in Rio de Janeiro (Reuters)
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday advised pregnant women to not travel to the Aug. 5-21 Olympics summer games to be held in Rio de Janeiro, citing the mosquito-borne Zika virus.
The health agency said these recommendations also hold for the Paralympic Games, scheduled for Sept. 7-18.
CDC said women who are pregnant may be at risk for sexual transmission of Zika and should use condoms the right way, every time, or do not have sex during your pregnancy.
A growing number of international athletes in recent weeks have said they are concerned about Zika, a virus that has been linked in Brazil to more than 4,000 suspected cases of microcephaly, a rare condition that causes abnormally small heads in infants and can lead to developmental problems.
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