Drug-resistant bacteria found in Rio’s Olympic waters

monjola sotubo

December 16, 2014 10:21 AM

The "super-bacteria", which is usually found in hospital waste and is notoriously difficult to treat, was found in waters near the city's Guanabara Bay, where sailing events for the 2016 Olympics will be held.

A drug-resistant bacteria has been discovered in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil by scientists in the country.

The "super-bacteria", which is usually found in hospital waste and is notoriously difficult to treat, was found in waters near the city's Guanabara Bay, where sailing events for the 2016 Olympics will be held.

About 70% of Rio’s sewage is spilled raw into the waters of Guanabara Bay and in its Olympic bid, the city promised to reduce pollution in the bay by 80% but in June, Mayor Eduardo Silva admitted that the deadline could not be met.

The superbug, which was discovered by the Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Brazil's most respected health research institute, can cause urinary, gastrointestinal and pulmonary infections.

The study coordinator at the institute, Ana Paula D'Alincourt Carvalho Assef told AP:

“The problem is that in case of infection it is possible that treatment involves hospitalization. Since the super-bacteria is resistant to the most modern medications, doctors need to rely on drugs that are rarely used because they are toxic to the organism.”

Brazilian authorities have however assured athletes that water pollution will not pose a major health risk during the Olympics, which are set to hold in August 2016.

monjola sotubo