Brazil and USA governments together in the fight against the Zika virus

The final preparation stages for the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games, as well as the measures put in place by the Brazilian government to fight the Zika virus were discussed when the Minister of Sport Picciani met with American authorities on Thursday (09.06), in Washington.

Picciani's itinerary was full of meetings in the American capital, attending meetings with the US Secretary of Health and Human Services Sylvia Mathews Burwell, the Deputy Secretary Al Fitzpayne and the Executive Director of the President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition Shellie Pfohl. The Minister also attended the Road to Rio event, sponsored by the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), which paid homage to the athletes coming to the Games.

Minister Leoardo Picciani at meeting with Secretary of Health Sylvia Mathews Burwell. Picture: Roberto Castro/ brasil2016.gov.br

Secretary Burwell expressed support to the families, whose children have contracted microcephaly as a result of the Zika virus. She seemed pleased with the information presented by the Minister, that the number of infections in Rio has been falling. In April for instance, 4,338 cases were notified, while in May this number dropped to only 702. In addition, Picciani explained that August is a winter month in Brazil and that historically, the incidence of the disease drops a lot.

The Minister thanked the partnership with the American government and informed her that Brazil has conducted several awareness raising campaigns, with the active participation of the population in the fight against the mosquito. "We hope to get to August with numbers close to zero, not just as a result of the measure we've adopted, but also because of weather conditions", stated Picciani.

Burwell also wanted to know if the Olympic Village will have any special operation. The Minister said that there will be an expressive number of health agents to prevent possible outbreaks in the competition areas, as well as common areas in the Village itself.

Deputy Secretary Al Fistzpayne asked Picciani about Brazil's main concerns at the moment and the Minister stated that the country is worried about how afraid people seem to be in relation to this matter. "We're looking for collaboration and at the same time, we're supplying as much information as possible to address the issue with the severity it needs, but without unnecessary fear", stated Picciani. "That's really useful to know and we're going to disseminate the information", promised Al Fitzpayne.

Chico de Gois, from Washington – Ministry of Sport