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Health experts in Brazil had a word of advice for the Olympic marathon swimmers, sailors and windsurfers competing in Rio de Janeiro’s picture-postcard waters: Keep your mouth closed.
Tests by government and independent scientists revealed a veritable petri dish of pathogens in many of the city’s waters, from rotaviruses that can cause diarrhea and vomiting to drug-resistant “superbacteria” that can be fatal to people with weakened immune systems.
Some athletes here for the Games and other competitions have been felled by gastrointestinal illness, including members of the Spanish and Austrian sailing teams. About a quarter of the participants were sidelined by nausea and diarrhea, organizers said.
The pathogens, potentially fatal to those with compromised immunities, probably come from local hospitals that discharge untreated waste. Although superbacteria may not pose a threat to healthy people, the organisms can remain in the body for years and wreak havoc if a person becomes otherwise sick.
Professor Renata Picão and other health experts say that unlike residents, who have been repeatedly exposed to sewage-borne pathogens, foreign visitors are more likely to fall ill after contact with contaminated waters
“If they couldn’t clean things up for the Olympics, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, I’m afraid it might never happen.” She said.
Internet: The NY Times – adaptação.
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