NBC host skipping Olympics due to Zika virus

“Today” host Savannah Guthrie will miss the Rio Olympics over Zika virus concerns.

Savannah Guthrie, host of NBC’s “Today” announced Tuesday that she will not cover the 2016 Rio Olympics in Brazil because of her concerns regarding the Zika virus. Guthrie, who is currently pregnant, stated on air, “I’m not going to be able to go to Rio. The doctors say that we shouldn’t because of the CDC, because of the Zika virus, so I’ll miss it.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Zika virus is spread primarily spread through the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito and usually results in fever, rash, joint pain, and conjunctivitis.

Symptoms generally subside within a week in rarely result in hospitalization or death, however the disease provides a much more serious threat to pregnant women. A Zika virus infection during pregnancy can cause serious birth defects such as severe fetal brain damage.

The World Health Organization (WHO) announced last week that it is considering the risks of holding the Olympics in Brazil, warning it could rapidly accelerate the spread of the virus, but the general consensus is that canceling or moving the games will not make much of a difference.

However, a group of 150 health experts from both the United States and Brazil signed an open letter to the WHO, citing a risk to global health as an estimated 500,000 will descend on Rio de Janeiro for two weeks the middle of summer.

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Members of the U.S. Women’s soccer team Hope Solo and Alex Morgan have both voiced their concerns over the Zika virus, while NBA star and Spain’s Pau Gasol has also mulled skipping the games entirely.

Check out our Olympics hub page for more news and updates for the 2016 games.