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SALT LAKE CITY — BYU statistics professor Jared Ward says it's "surreal" to think he will be competing in his first Olympic Games this summer in Rio de Janeiro.
But the excitement is tinged with some disappointment: The long-distance runner's wife, who is pregnant with their third child, will not be there with him.
Ward's wife, Erica, is due to give birth about three weeks after Ward returns from Brazil, where the Zika virus is widespread. She probably would have decided to stay home anyway due to the timing of the pregnancy, according to Ward.
"But," he adds, "Zika didn't help."
With six weeks to go until the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro, a team of experts led by University of Utah pediatric infectious disease specialist Dr. Carrie Byington is advising Team USA on how to stay safe in Rio.
Byington, who also serves as the chairwoman of the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Infectious Diseases, said the U.S. Olympic Committee is taking "every precaution" against the mosquito-borne illness.
"We know a lot more now than we did, say, in October of last year," she said. "We feel like we have some new information now that would help us protect the athletes from contracting Zika virus while visiting."
The U.S. delegation is expected to number about 2,630 people this year, including 815 athletes.
Based on estimates made by researchers studying the Zika outbreak in Brazil, Byington said the chance of an athlete contracting Zika virus is low.
Since the virus was detected in Brazil last year, it has been linked to almost 1,500 cases of a rare birth defect called microcephaly in that country alone and has spread to many other Latin and Central American countries.
The virus is transmitted primarily through the bite of an infected mosquito, but researchers have discovered that it can also be spread through sexual contact.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has advised women who are pregnant not to go to the Olympics and has issued heightened alerts for other travelers.
Some athletes are choosing to stay home.
Prominent Irish golfer Rory McIlroy disappointed fans Wednesday when he announced he would not compete in Rio, citing concerns about Zika virus. The 2016 Games mark the first time golf will return to the Olympics in 112 years.
"Even though the risk of infection from the Zika virus is considered low, it is a risk nonetheless and a risk I am unwilling to take," McIlroy said in a statement.
The four-time major championship winner is the most prominent athlete to withdraw from the Olympics due to Zika concerns.
U.S. women's soccer goalkeeper Hope Solo has also voiced misgivings. In May, she told CNBC she would "begrudgingly" participate in the Games.
"I'm not sure I'm even going to be leaving the hotel room, outside of practice," the two-time Olympic gold medalist said.
"Today" anchor Savannah Guthrie, who is pregnant with her second child, announced earlier this month that she is bowing out of covering the Olympic Games.
Byington said most of the elite athletes she's talked to are concerned about future pregnancies. About 1 in 3 tell her they want to become pregnant or have a child immediately after the Games, she said, to her surprise.
"Many of them would like to compete in these Olympics and in another Olympics four years from now, so being able to plan a pregnancy and deliver and take care of an infant — they are really concerned about the timing of that," Byington said.
While in Rio, the infectious diseases team will place athletes in air-conditioned housing and carefully examine the venues for open water where mosquitos can breed, Byington said. The committee will also advise the team on safety measures, including using mosquito repellent and covering up their arms and legs.
"That is an issue with some of the uniforms," Byington noted.
Many athletes and staff members have also agreed to participate in a study to build knowledge of the virus.
With funding from the National Institutes of Health, Byington and her colleagues will closely monitor about 1,000 athletes, their partners and their coaches, health care professionals and even chefs who travel to Rio.
Participants will be tested for Zika virus through blood, urine and saliva samples on a regular basis. Those who test positive will be tracked for two years after the Games.
"The fact that they're willing to do research is an amazing benefit for individuals who live in countries with Zika virus because we're going to be able to learn some very important answers," Byington said.
Byington is no stranger to the Olympic Games.
Fourteen years ago, she was called in to help with the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, which took place shortly after 9/11 when fears about anthrax were high.
This time, she is up against a virus that until recently was thought to be a relatively mild illness.
Although researchers have a lot to learn, Byington said they have made significant progress in recent months.
"We understand the structure of the virus. We know how it invades. We know how it causes diseases in a developing fetus. And now we're turning to developing vaccines and treatments," she said.
Byington and her colleagues are heartened by the fact that most athletes will be in Brazil for a short time. The Olympics — which run Aug. 5-21 — also fall during Brazil's winter when mosquito activity tends to be low.
As for Ward, he said he's focused on the race and is placing his trust in the committee.
"There's a lot of people smarter than me worrying about what to do," he said.
Ward plans to get tested for Zika regularly, be "very, very cautious" around his family when he returns to Utah, and follow all the instructions Byington gives him while in Rio.
"We're going to be wearing lots of DEET down there," he said. "As strong as they have for us adults."
