Kaohsiung wants Olympic athletes protected from mosquito bites

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-07-20
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

With the Rio 2016 Olympics only 16 days away, Kaohsiung City Government officials visited the city’s eight athletes training for the Olympics at the National Sports Training Center (NSTC) in the city’s Zuoying District on Wednesday, saying that the city will make sure mosquito repellent and mosquito nets are provided in light of the prevalent dengue and Zika epidemics in Brazil.

Kaohsiung Deputy Mayor Chen Chin-de said during the visit that Brazil is a hot spot in the dengue fever outbreak, with nearly a million cases at the moment. Kaohsiung City understands the seriousness of the dengue epidemic and has asked the authorities to provide sufficient mosquito repellent and mosquito nets to protect the health of the athletes.

In addition to the dengue epidemic, mosquitoes can also spread Zika virus, posing a risk for birth defects, Chen said.     [FULL  STORY]