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Mexican Olympians given condoms, mosquito repellent over Zika fears
Mexican athletes received on Monday an anti-Zika kit for the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, including Mosquito repellent, antibacterial hand gel and condoms.
Mexican athletes received on Monday an anti-Zika kit for the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, including Mosquito repellent, antibacterial hand gel and condoms.
In addition to the little black bag, two epidemiologists will travel with the Mexican Olympic delegation, which includes 124 athletes, coaches and doctors, the health ministry said Monday.
The country’s football players, who will play in northern Brazil, were vaccinated against yellow fever.
READ: Going to Rio Olympics? Use our guide for everything from safety to samba parties
Pablo Kuri, a deputy health minister, recommended that athletes use the repellent twice a day during the August 5-21 Games.
More than 900 Zika cases have been reported in Mexico so far. By contrast, 1.5 million have been infected with the virus in Brazil.
While Zika is mainly delivered by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, it has also been shown to transmit through sexual contact. The virus usually causes only mild, flu-like symptoms, but it can also trigger birth defects in babies born to infected mothers. Zika also has been shown able to trigger paralysis/Guillain-Barre Syndrome.
