Two Brazilian research groups have predicted, separately, that the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro could bring about as few as 15 or 16 Zika infections, despite transmission of the virus in Brazil.
According to Reuters, a Sao Paulo-based group found the Olympics would result in 15 Zika infections among foreign visitors, and a separate group at the University of Sao Paulo predicted in a study that the Olympics would cause no more than 16 new Zika infections.
However, U.S. government researchers have estimated that Olympics attendees would raise the risk of spreading Zika through air travel, according to Reuters.
Zika has been linked to microcephaly and other health conditions, prompting the World Health Organization to issue advice in May for Olympic athletes to avoid getting the mosquito-borne virus. WHO has not advocated for canceling the games.
In February, the U.S. Olympics Committee told athletes who were concerned about exposure to Zika to consider skipping the games.