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Rio organizers: Zika outbreak will not affect Olympics

Wednesday, 03 February 2016 7:46 AM [ Last Update: Wednesday, 03 February 2016 7:45 AM ]

Rio 2016 Olympic Games Communications Director Mario Andrada speaks next to a screen that reads in Portuguese: ‘Message about Zika’ in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on February 2, 2016. © AFP

Rio 2016 organizers have held a media briefing at the Olympics headquarters amid growing worries over the spread of the Zika virus.

With just over six months to go till the games open in Brazil, the organizing committee insisted that the upcoming event won't be affected by the outbreak of the disease.

They tried to assure the media that they are taking every necessary measure to combat the Zika virus.

The press conference came a day after the World Health Organization declared that a disease linked to the virus constituted a global public health emergency.

The organizers and Rio's health officials emphasized that they would follow the guidelines issued by international and local authorities.

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