Researchers backed by the National Institutes of Health will observe potential Zika virus exposure in a group of U.S. Olympic athletes, coaches and other staff who will attend the 2016 Summer Olympics in Brazil where thousands of babies have been born with Zika-related microcephaly.
Study participants will complete health surveys and provide samples of bodily fluids for Zika detection. The project aims to enroll a minimum of 1,000 men and women and will seek to identify infections and risk factors as well as determine how long and where the virus persists in the body particularly in blood, semen, vaginal secretions and saliva.
Catherine Y. Spong, MD, acting director of the NIH's National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, said, "Zika virus infection poses many unknown risks, especially to those of reproductive age. Monitoring the health and reproductive outcomes of members of the U.S. Olympic team offers a unique opportunity to answer important questions and help address an ongoing public health emergency."
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