Amir Attaran
This law professor thinks the world should be a lot more scared of the Zika virus than it is.
Amir Attaran is Associate Professor of Law and Population Health and the Canada Research Chair in Law, Population Health and Global Development Policy at the University of Ottawa. In a recent paper published in the Harvard Public Health Review, he called for the 2016 Olympic Games, set to be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to be postponed or moved over growing concerns of the Zika virus. Attaran is more than just a lawyer going off half-cocked; he is also a biologist and world health expert with a degree in immunology, so when he warns of an approaching pandemic, perhaps we should listen.
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Attaran makes a compelling case that the world’s health is not worth risking over the Olympics. As CBC Canada reports:
“The problem is we’re essentially faced with a situation of games versus health,” Attaran said in an interview Monday from Ottawa. “And to me, it’s very clear that you don’t play games so as to wreck the health of the world, which is very possibly the outcome.”
And he doesn’t mince words in discussing the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which, unsurprisingly, is in favor of continuing the games as scheduled:
“I characterize it as potentially catastrophic, extremely negligent, ill-considered and inconsistent with the scientific evidence,” said Attaran, noting that the science on Zika has rapidly evolved since the IOC last stated that the Games will proceed as planned.
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The World Health Organization and the IOC have not, as yet, changed their position that the Olympic show should go on, they’re just recommending safety measures be taken to prevent the spread of Zika. Attaran is not impressed with this option:
Since that statement in late January, in which the IOC expressed confidence that the Games will be safe and advised participants on how to protect themselves from mosquito bites, researchers have proven that Zika infection during pregnancy can cause microcephaly in newborns.
“It’s a bit like saying: ‘We’re holding the Games in Fukushima. Protect yourself. Wear a lead suit. It will all be fine,”‘ quipped Attaran, referring to the 2011 post-tsunami nuclear disaster in Japan.
The Rio Olympic games are scheduled to begin in 84 days.
Off the Podium: Why Public Health Concerns for Global Spread of Zika Virus Means That Rio de Janeiro’s 2016 Olympic Games Must Not Proceed [Harvard Public Health Review]
Rio Olympics should be postponed or moved due to Zika: professor [CBC Canada]