Could Zika virus be death knell for the Olympics? Rio faces crisis as female spectators and even ATHLETES are warned not to go... as organisers are left hoping the dry season will kill off mosquitoes

With less than 200 days to go to the Opening Ceremony, Rio's Olympic Games are looking to be heading towards a crisis, with countries around the world beginning to raise fears not only for the spectators, but for their athletes.

Airlines, including British Airways and Lufthansa, are now offering pregnant women the option to change or delay their flights to all affected areas.

The panic spread after the virus, spread by the Aedes Aegypti mosquito(larvae pictured, top), was linked to thousands of cases of microcephaly, which leaves newborns with unusually small heads and underdeveloped brains.

But Brazil is determined to get the situation under control, sending more than 3,000 municipal workers into the streets (pictured, right) to rid the city of mosquito hotbeds, and hopefully curb the spread of the virus, which scientists are linking to thousands of babies being born with unusually small heads (inset left).