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More than 100 physicians and professors pleaded with the World Health Organization on Friday, saying the summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro should either be postponed or moved "in the name of public health," CNN reported.
Due to the increasing spread of the Zika virus in Brazil, the group expressed their concern for global health if the Olympics were to take place there.
READ MORE:Zika Virus: Pregnant Women Advised to Avoid Rio Olympics
In a letter to WHO Director-General Margaret Chan, the group wrote that the Brazilian strain of Zika "harms health in ways that science has not observed before," CNN reported.
However, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Dr. Tom Frieden told CNN on Thursday that "There is no public health reason to cancel or delay the Olympics."
READ MORE:Don't Worry About Zika at Rio Olympics
In a statement obtained by CNN, the WHO said that "canceling or changing the location of the 2016 Olympics will not significantly alter the international spread of Zika virus."
The organization advises people to follow public health travel advice to reduce the spread of Zika, CNN said.
The CDC discourages pregnant women from traveling to regions affected by Zika and advises men with the virus to use condoms if having sex with a pregnant woman, CNN reported.
According to CNN, the International Olympic Committee asserts it does not plan to postpone or cancel the Olympics.
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