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Zika virus no longer a major concern for many U.S. athletes

Joe Raedle / Getty Images News / Getty

The Zika virus appears to have been overblown - both in a literal and figurative sense.

Cooler temperatures and strong winds have assisted the efforts of Rio 2016 personnel, who are tirelessly working to bar mosquitoes from venues, events, and residences.

Those staunch efforts, and the apparent environmental assistance, is in turn helping temper concerns in the U.S. camp.

"I have not seen any mosquitoes," U.S. diver Abby Johnston, whose heeded to the efforts of workers, told Adam Kilgore of The Washington Post.

Like Johnston, U.S. archer Jake Kaminski previously held reservations about the Zika virus. But now that he's in Rio, Kaminski, too, is no longer worried.

"I can speak for all of us, and I'm sure they would agree: We have absolutely no fears. We've taken all the precautions we need to take. We're here to compete, we're here to win, and we're here to have a good time.

"Zika, mosquitoes, and so forth are totally not on our radar."

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