Full coverage: 2016 Rio Olympics

The World Health Organization has ruled out changing the date or location of the the 2016 Olympic Games, after health experts warned the athletic event could spread the Zika virus.

150 international doctors, scientists and researchers sent an open letter to the UN, outlining fears that the arrival of half a million tourists for the Games could cause the virus to spread more rapidly around the world.

On Friday, the WHO released a statement that they have no reason to believe that moving the Olympics would significantly impact the spread of the virus. Nearly 13-hundred babies in Brazil have suffered birth defects as a result of the virus since the mosquito-borne disease began circulating there last year.

The WHO has noted that there will be fewer mosquitos in Rio de Janeiro and a lower risk of being bitten during the Olympics.