{"id":215299,"date":"2016-05-18T16:44:57","date_gmt":"2016-05-18T16:44:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=215299"},"modified":"2016-05-18T16:44:57","modified_gmt":"2016-05-18T16:44:57","slug":"australian-athletes-to-carry-super-strength-condoms-to-olympic-games","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2016\/05\/australian-athletes-to-carry-super-strength-condoms-to-olympic-games\/","title":{"rendered":"Australian athletes to carry ‘super-strength’ condoms to Olympic games"},"content":{"rendered":"
Australia\u2019s Olympians will be issued with free super-strength condoms in Rio to minimise any infection from the Zika virus, officials said Monday.<\/p>\n
Brazil has been the epicentre of the outbreak of the mosquito-borne disease, which is blamed for birth defects in babies born to women infected with the virus.<\/p>\n
While condoms will be available in dispensing machines in the Olympic village, Australia is taking no chances, providing extra protection by supplying their own extra-strong variety \u201cfor peace of mind\u201d.<\/p>\n
They have teamed up with manufacturer Starpharma, which says its condoms contain a lubricant that protects against sexually-transmitted diseases and has \u201cnear-complete anti-viral protection against Zika virus in laboratory studies\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe health and well-being of the team comes first,\u201d said the Olympic team\u2019s chef de mission Kitty Chiller.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur association with Starpharma will provide extra protection for everyone on the team, and is a commonsense approach to a very serious problem we are facing in Rio.\u201d<\/p>\n
There has been widespread anxiety globally surrounding the threat of Zika, which is rampant in Brazil.<\/p>\n
As well as causing the birth defect microcephaly in babies born to women infected with the virus, it has also been linked to the rare but serious neurological disorder Guillain-Barre Syndrome.<\/p>\n
Last week, the World Health Organisation advised pregnant women not to travel to Rio and urged athletes and visitors to take precautions to avoid infection by Zika.<\/p>\n
–<\/p>\n
Source: AFP<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Australia\u2019s Olympians will be issued with free super-strength condoms in Rio to minimise any infection from the Zika virus, officials said Monday. Brazil has been the epicentre of the outbreak of the mosquito-borne disease, which is blamed for birth defects in babies born to women infected with the virus. While condoms will be available in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":215301,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[117],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n