Rio Olympics 2016 Problems Mounting: No Solution For Super Bacteria In Waters


The conditions at the 2016 Rio Olympics have officially gone from bad to worse.

Recent news reports alleged that there’s no solution in sight against the “super bacteria” in its waters where some of the events will be held. The study was released in the wake of the tragic news about Juma the Jaguar, the official mascot, was shot to death after escaping its enclosure.

That’s not taking into account the Zika virus and the police officers and firefighters — protesting the non-payment of their back wages — putting up signs all around the city that read, “Welcome to hell.”

However, one of the most ominous threats is a supposed “super bacteria,” which is about as creepy as it sounds. Last month, Reuters uncovered two unpublished studies that revealed the presence of this “super bacteria” on Rio’s beaches, and recently published research by Brazilian scientists contained similar findings.

A report from Yahoo News pointed to two studies found by Reuters about the presence of super bacteria in its waters.

Super bacteria got its name from the fact that it’s resistant to antibiotics. Also, about 5 in 10 who are infected with the bacteria end up dead.

The problem in the Rio Olympics 2016 is that the super bacteria is pervasive in waters where swimming, rowing, sailing, and canoeing will be held. There are also reports that the bacteria has even been found in the deeper part of the ocean where the sailing events will be hosted.

According to the report, the super bacteria were discovered from samples taken in 2013 and 2014. They believed that they formed from the untreated hospital waste that also flows into the waters.

“Researchers say that there is no reason to believe that levels have changed because raw sewage is still being pumped into the oceans,” the report said.

It’s been reported earlier that the waters where the rowing events will be held are filled with human feces and trash. Apparently, the raw sewage coming from the poor neighborhoods all flow untreated into the water.

Organizers of the Rio Olympics 2016 were aware of the problem, of course. In fact, they awarded Brazil the right to host the events on the condition that the country would clean up the polluted waters.

To be fair, the government has made headway, but the efforts are not enough. From a target to treat 80 percent of the sewage, they only accomplished about 51 percent.

USA Today said that the continuing unrest in Brazil, beset by one of the worst recessions in a long time, also contributes to the problems faced by the Rio Olympics 2016 organizers.

“Violence remains a problem in the city, where Units of Pacifying Police have tried with mixed results to control violence and the drug trade in the favelas,” it said.

Gawker, meanwhile, reported the many bad omens that point towards the Rio Olympics 2016 being a recipe for disaster.

Aside from the dead jaguar, there’s also the fact that two professional skydivers who joined 266 others in trying to form the Olympic rings got entangled and fell to their deaths. There’s also the fact that disemboweled bodies were found at the site of the Games.

If the Rio Olympics 2016 athletes and visitors worried about their safety take refuge in the fact that they have medical insurance, well they have another thing coming.

“The wounded and sick can anticipate having one hell of a time trying to find a hospital bed,” the report said. “Thanks to Brazil’s financial crisis, the public sector has effectively collapsed — including the city’s hospitals. Rio the state even had to hand over its hospitals to Rio the city in an effort to get their doctors paid, which many still haven’t been.”

[Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images]

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