British Olympic champ Greg Rutherford freezes his sperm before heading to Brazil over Zika fears
The long jumper’s girlfriend and their young son, Milo, won’t fly out to Rio because of the virus
BRITISH Olympic champ Greg Rutherford has frozen his sperm before heading to Brazil for the Games because of his fears over the Zika virus which is linked to birth defects.
And the long jumper’s girlfriend and their young son, Milo, won’t fly out to Rio to cheer him on because of their concerns about the outbreak of the disease there.
Zika, which is spread by mosquitos, is believed to be responsible for babies being born with abnormally small heads and severe brain defects if mothers contract the virus while they’re pregnant.
The 29-year-old, who won gold at London 2012, decided to freeze his sperm before he travels so he and partner Susie Verrill can have more children in future.
Blogger Susie wrote an article for Standard Issue women’s website yesterday saying: “The Zika news has caused no end of concern if we’re totally honest.
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“We’re not ones to worry unnecessarily but after more than 100 medical experts stressed the Games should be moved to prevent the disease from spreading, this was a huge factor in us choosing to stay put.
“We’ve also made the decision to have Greg’s sperm frozen.
“We’d love to have more children and with research in its infancy, I wouldn’t want to put myself in a situation which could have been prevented.
“Specialists still also don’t know the ins and outs of Zika, so even though it looks as though there’s no real issue should Milo get bitten, it’s just another thing we don’t want to chance.”
Zika: The facts
Most people don’t have any symptoms when they contract the virus, but possible mild symptoms can include a rash, fever, headache, and sore eyes.
The NHS Choices website advises pregnant women avoid traveling to areas hit by the Zika virus.
The official advice states: “It is recommended that you avoid becoming pregnant while travelling to an area with active Zika virus transmission, and for 28 days after you return home [if you haven’t suffered any Zika symptoms].”
It adds: “If your partner has travelled to an area with active Zika virus transmission, you should use effective contraception to prevent pregnancy, and condoms during vaginal, anal and oral sex to reduce the risk of sexual transmission.
“These measures should be taken during travel and for 28 days after his return home, even if he has no Zika symptoms, [and] for six months following the start of his symptoms if he does experience Zika symptoms or a Zika virus infection has been confirmed by a doctor.”
Greg is not the first athlete to express concerns about the Games.
American cyclist Tejay Van Garderen pulled out over fears for his pregnant wife, while Fijian Vijay Singh and Australian Marc Leishman have also withdrawn from the golf event.
More than 100 health experts wrote an open letter calling for the Games to be moved to another location, but Brazil’s sports minister Leonardo Picciani said the number of cases was steadily falling.
He claimed “in August it will be very close to zero” and added: “I would say to any athlete, to any visitor planning on coming to Rio, you do not have to worry, Rio and Brazil have prepared for this moment.”
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