• WILL I KNOW IF I’M INFECTED?
You might not. Most infected people do not get sick, and those that do usually experience only mild symptoms, like fever, rash, red eyes, joint pain, that ends within a week. But some infected adults have developed a paralyzing condition called Guillain-Barre syndrome.
• WHAT ABOUT OTHER TROPICAL ILLNESSES?
The same mosquito spreads other tropical illnesses, including chikungunya, which has been spreading in Brazil and other parts of South America in the last few years. It has some of the same symptoms as Zika, but the joint pain is often debilitating and can give people a stooped appearance — the name chikungunya comes from a word meaning “to become contorted.” Like Zika, there is no vaccine or cure for it. There are vaccines or medicines for other mosquito-borne diseases seen in Brazil, including yellow fever, dengue fever and malaria. Those aren’t considered much of a threat for Olympic visitors, though.
• WHAT ELSE COULD MAKE ME SICK?
If a traveler to the Olympics gets sick, it’s most likely from drinking water or eating undercooked or unclean food, said Dr. Martin Cetron of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Food should be peeled, boiled or cooked. Avoid food from street vendors, and fruits and vegetables that have not been thoroughly washed, experts suggest. Drink bottled water or beverages. And maybe pack some medicine for diarrhea, Cetron said. Some swimming areas in Rio are contaminated with sewage, and the CDC advises avoiding swallowing mouthfuls of water and staying away from beaches with warning signs.
• ANYTHING ELSE?
It’s flu season in the Southern Hemisphere, so expect that people in Rio may be sneezing or coughing and spreading flu germs. Flu and other respiratory illnesses are probably the second most common thing travelers to the Olympics will get, Cetron said. Wash your hands and drink lots of uncontaminated fluids, experts say.