AP Interview: IOC medical chief seeks to allay Zika fears

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NIH National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci, center, sitting next to CDC Director Tom Frieden, left, testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016, before the House Foreign Affairs, Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations subcommittee and Western Hemisphere subcommittee joint hearing on: \'The Global Zika Epidemic.\' (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

LONDON – Seeking to calm fears over the Zika outbreak, the IOC medical director tells The Associated Press that “everything that can be done is being done” to combat the virus in Brazil and provide safe conditions for athletes at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Dr. Richard Budgett says the International Olympic Committee is “absolutely not complacent” about the mosquito-borne virus, which has been linked to birth defects.

He says “our priority is to protect the health of the athletes, we do take it very seriously.”

Budgett says the outbreak should be kept “in perspective,” noting that world health authorities have not called for a restriction on travel to Brazil.

He says there has been no consideration of postponing or cancelling the Olympics, which are scheduled from Aug. 5-21.

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