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Savannah Guthrie, NBC journalist, news personality and co-host of the Today show alongside co-host Matt Lauer, is voluntarily skipping the opportunity to travel to and report from this summer’s Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Savannah Guthrie and husband Michael Feldman recently announced Guthrie’s second pregnancy.
Guthrie, along with several NBC co-workers and staff, have all declined a chance to report from Rio due to concerns and fears related to the spread of the Zika virus.
The Zika virus is a mosquito-to-human transmitted disease that is known to cause extremely severe and irrevocable birth defects and physical deformations in newborns. Central and South America are known hotspots for Zika-virus transmission.
Brazil will be dealing with the health crisis fallout of the Zika virus for generations to come. Thousands of Brazilian children, borne of Zika-infected parents, have developed microcephaly. This condition causes stunted and halted growth, the countenance of smaller-than-average skulls, underdeveloped brains, undeveloped cognitive abilities and extremely diminished motor skills.
The full ramifications of the Zika virus as a public health threat are still being studied, as much is still unknown about the virus.
Over 150 health experts and scientists signed a public petition calling for the World Health Organization to canceled at worst or postponed at best the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio due to the health concerns posed by the Zika virus.
The decision by Guthrie and NBC to skip the games speak volumes to the level of anxiety that the threat posed by the Zika virus is having upon the sports community.
Soccer star Hope Solo and Pau Gasol, power forward for the Chicago Bulls, among several other athletes, have all publicly contemplated sitting out the Rio games as well.
More sports-related figures are sure to follow in the footsteps of Guthrie and the NBC staffers.
It has been reported that NBC is sending a 2,000-person strong Olympics coverage team to Rio de Janeiro for full coverage opportunities related to the summer games.
Health officials stress that pregnant woman should avoid travel to areas known for Zika virus transmission.
You can get more information about the Zika virus here.
A. A. Francis
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