Letter sent to: Information and Evidence Unit, Office of the Prosecutor, International Criminal Court, The Hague, Netherlands Dear Office of the Prosecutor, My name is Rose Webster. I am a former SARS frontline worker employed in healthcare for 20 years. I am not a lawyer, but I am submitting this information in good faith since time is of the essence for thousands of the poorest men, women, and children on the planet. This Article 15 Communication notifies the Office of the Prosecutor (“OTP”) of the International Criminal Court (“ICC”) of genocide (article 6) and crimes against humanity (article 7) committed by the World Health Organization (WHO), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Government of Canada (Health Canada). The articles and sections I feel are applicable, for your consideration, are as follows Article 6: Genocide (b) (c) and (d) and Article 7: Crimes against humanity (k). The WHO, CDC, and Health Canada have ignored the evidence and warnings of 238 research scientists and health experts from 40 countries in this open letter: http://rioolympicslater.org In the right sidebar, are three responses from these scientists: 1) May 30th, 2016: Read the health experts' response to WHO on Zika and the Olympics: http://rioolympicslater.org/health-experts-response-to-who-on-zika-and-the-olympics-may-30-2016 2) June 13th, 2016: Why the World Health Organization is wrong about travel and Zika: http://dropcanvas.com/uzozw 3) July 14th, 2016: The CDC agrees, Olympics can increase the global health risk of Zika: http://rioolympicslater.org/the-cdc-agrees-the-olympics-can-increase-the-global-health-risk-of-zika-july-14-2016 which states: "... Rio Olympics pose a global health threat and can spread a virus that brain damages children. That the IOC, WHO and Brazilian government were dishonest in belittling that possibility is now even clearer than it was before. It is still not too late to postpone the Rio Olympics, so that the natural process of “herd immunity” ends the Zika virus outbreak in Brazil, after which the Olympics could proceed without this danger." I also examined the CDC's "early release" Projected Zika Virus Importation and Subsequent Ongoing Transmission after Travel to the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games – Country-Specific Assessment: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/65/wr/mm6528e1.htm?s_cid=mm6528e1_w#Bb_down and I countered their methodology with this petition update CDC Claims "Low Risk" Overall But Worse-Case Scenarios are Grossly Inaccurate: https://www.change.org/p/participating-countries-athletes-and-citizens-boycott-the-2016-rio-summer-olympics/u/17274248 The CDC admits: "Zika virus can stay in semen longer than in blood, but we don’t know exactly how long Zika stays in semen or how long it can be passed to sex partners." Source: http://www.cdc.gov/zika/transmission/sexual-transmission.html And yet the CDC are advising people to wait either 1-month, 2-months, or 6-months to have unprotected sex (depending on the link you click on). Dr. Dean Blumberg explained, "So it's [Zika] been detected up to 62 days after infection, but that's where they stopped checking. Source: http://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2016/06/30/rio-olympics-zika The Government of Canada's [Health Canada] website page (updated June 30th, 2016): https://travel.gc.ca/travelling/health-safety/travel-health-notices/152 states: "For women planning a pregnancy, it is strongly recommended that you wait at least two months before trying to conceive to ensure that any possible Zika virus infection has cleared your body." This facts are: 80 percent of those infected with Zika have no symptoms and two months = ONLY 60 days. (Researchers stopped checking semen after Zika was found 62 days post-infection). And I discovered that the CDC is not counting sexually transmitted cases. Even after removing pregnant women from the data, researchers found women were 90 percent more likely than men their age to be infected. After age 15, once sexual activity began, the rates in females shot up. Between the ages of 25 and 29, women were three times as likely (as men) to be infected with Zika. Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/05/health/zika-virus-sex-spread.html?_r=0 Tom Frieden, CDC's director, said, "... more than 1,100 Americans had become infected with the virus while traveling abroad. That includes 14 sexually transmitted cases and 320 pregnant women." Source: http://www.miamiherald.com/latest-news/article88281902.html Yet, in the first 14 seconds of this report: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_pdkslbkvg it states: "Texas now has 53 confirmed cases of Zika but none of them yet from mosquitoes." [And this in only Texas, not the entire U.S.] FACT: The CDC has known (since February) about the sexual spread of Zika but has chosen to conceal crucial data. A Courthouse News Service post states: "The agency would not say where the new sexually transmitted Zika cases were discovered since the risk applies to all women in the U.S., Dr. Jennifer McQuiston, deputy incident manager for Zika virus at the CDC, told CNN." Source: http://www.courthousenews.com/2016/02/23/us-sees-more-sexually-transmitted-zika-cases.htm Quotes from the February 23rd, 2016 CNN post: http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/23/health/cdc-investigating-more-cases-of-sexually-transmitted-zika "These new reports suggest sexual transmission may be a more likely means of transmission for Zika than previously considered ... several of these cases are among pregnant women, although the CDC did not specify how many." "Officials have not said which states they are working with or where these women live because the risk applies to all women in the United States, according to Dr. Jennifer McQuiston, deputy incident manager for Zika virus at the CDC." "We have been a little surprised by the number of suspected cases we've received," she told CNN. July 1st, 2016, President Obama stated: "We can issue precautions for travel to areas that have Zika." Source: https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2016/07/01/remarks-president-zika-virus President Obama was not accurate when he stated: "... for the most part, Zika is not a type of disease like Ebola, where it's life-threatening." Because "for the most part" means what? For 51 percent to 99 percent of those infected. Peter Hotez M.D., Ph.D., testified before congress. He believes Zika is even worse than Ebola (I do too). If you are short on time, scroll over to the 6 minute mark: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2gQ_Y30EaM Dr. Peter Hotez is a scientist, pediatrician, and advocate in the fields of global health, vaccinology, and neglected tropical disease control. He is the founding dean and chief of the Baylor College of Medicine National School of Tropical Medicine in the Department of pediatrics and holds the Texas Children's Hospital Endowed Chair in Tropical Pediatrics. WHO now admits: "Based on research to date, there is scientific consensus that Zika virus is a cause of microcephaly and GBS." Source: 14 July 2016 Risk Assessment Zika Situation Report: http://who.int/emergencies/zika-virus/situation-report/14-july-2016/en Even in the best of settings, three to five percent of GBS patients die. GBS has a serious long-term impact on the patients’ work and private life, even 3–6 years after the onset of illness. Sources: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/guillain-barre-syndrome/en http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3152164 Perhaps the most worrisome finding: "... the [Zika] virus can still be detected in many GBS patients even months after their recovery ... akin to a similar phenomenon such as Herpes Zoster, where the virus lies more or less dormant in the body for many years and then becomes active again under certain circumstances such as stress or a weakening of the immune system and unleashes serious symptoms. Source: Zika experts: Varied neurological complications, virus still detectable after recovery July 14, 2016 ScienceDaily World Federation of Neurology: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/07/160714092229.htm Also, Zika-induced uveitis (a serious and painful eye condition) can cause glaucoma, cataracts, and permanent loss of vision. Source: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/local_coverage/2016/07/zika_linked_to_serious_eye_infection The study "Identification of Zika virus vectors and implications for control" published March 2016 http://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/laninf/PIIS1473-3099(16)00073-6.pdf states: "Vector control strategies must be directed at all potential vectors. To assume that the main vector is A aegypti in areas in which other mosquito species coexist is naive, and could be catastrophic if other species are found to have important roles in Zika virus transmission." After checking over 1500 mosquitoes, nearly half were Aedes aegypti and most of the rest were Culex quinquefasciatus, a common mosquito. About 5 percent of the collected mosquitoes were other species. Source: http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/05/top-mosquito-suspect-found-infected-zika Furthermore, Dr. Michael Burgess (Congressman and Ob/Gyn for 25 years) and Mr. John Cornyn (U.S. Senator) penned a 3-page letter to both Dr. Tom Frieden, CDC's director, and John F. Kerry, Secretary of State, asking that they provide detailed responses to six glaring issues: http://burgess.house.gov/uploadedfiles/cornyn_and_burgess_zika_letter_to_state_and_cdc_6.17.16.pdf Here are just three: 1) Explain why Zika-related travel risks is not on the 'Alerts and Warnings' page. 2) Explain why the CDC does not consider Zika an unprecedented threat to public health to warrant a Level 3 travel alert (avoid all non-essential travel). 3) Provide a detailed analysis why the CDC does not consider this virus as presenting a high risk of harm to the next generation of Americans. I echo the same concerns for Health Canada. I submitted corrections to the Health Canada website on July 12th, 2016 and only received this automated response: "We've received your feedback. Thank you for taking the time to provide feedback." Dr. Sam Allen, a leading Scottish expert on infectious diseases, went to Brazil earlier this month agrees with 238 scientists and health experts: many athletes and travelling fans could be exposed and might carry this disease to other parts of the world. “We are now seeing an unusually high number of babies being born with small heads in this region." Source: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/olympic-games-could-spread-zika-8439007 At the 30-second mark: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6-Xh_GTj4I the U.S. Navy advises: "Avoid unnecessary travel to affected countries." This is the same as a Level 3 travel alert that the CDC and Public Health Agency of Canada have failed to enact. Everyone deserves the same protection (not just those in the U.S. Navy). The WHO's recent risk assessment states: "Overall, the global risk assessment has not changed. Zika virus continues to spread geographically to areas where competent vectors are present. Although a decline in cases of Zika infection has been reported in some countries, or in some parts of countries, vigilance needs to remain high. At this stage, based on the evidence available, there is no overall decline in the outbreak." Source: http://who.int/emergencies/zika-virus/situation-report/14-july-2016/en How can the global risk assessment not change if there is no overall decline in the outbreak? Mental harm and great suffering has – and continues to be – inflicted on countless women all over the world because travel restrictions have not been enacted: "People who don't know they have Zika won't know they need to protect themselves from mosquito bites, so they don't infect someone else. And a pregnant woman who gets infected and doesn't know it may not see the consequences until her baby shows the damage, during a second-trimester ultrasound or even at birth." Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/zika-virus-outbreak/bracing-zika-tale-two-cities-n608546 Zika virus worries pregnant women in the U.S. as mosquito season approaches: http://www.today.com/health/zika-virus-worries-pregnant-women-u-s-mosquito-season-approaches-t100781 "It [Zika] is expected to hit those in poverty, minorities and pregnant women." Source: http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/story/news/local/alabama/2016/07/16/zika-and-poverty-education-assistance-key/86859136 Dr. Chris Zahn, Vice President of Practice Activities for the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. “The Zika crisis makes it impossible to ignore the need for full access to safe, affordable and effective reproductive health care options for women—no matter where they live.” Many of the states where Zika is most likely to hit—areas that are home to the aedis aegypti mosquito that transmits the virus—are places with major restrictions on abortion access: http://time.com/4394141/zika-abortion-usa CNN's Arwa Damon talks with mothers who were shunned from their friends and family after birthing babies with the Zika virus: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cx2WNvdGImg On July 12th, 2016 Replikins Ltd. announced that recent rapid significant Zika virus gene mutations have been detected ... predicts Zika intensification and spread of outbreaks in the coming year. Source: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/zika-virus-gene-replikins-significant-mutations-detected-300296785.html Sadly, with less than a month away from the 2016 Rio Summer Olympic Games, the WHO, CDC, and Health Canada have failed to enact Level 3 travel alerts to where the Zika virus is spreading. This oversight is an egregious act of willful negligence that will unleash (and has already) immense suffering on the poorest people in the world. Therefore, I ask you to consider Article 6: Genocide (b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; (c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; (d) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group; Article 7: Crimes against humanity 1. For the purpose of this Statute, "crime against humanity" means any of the following acts when committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against any civilian population, with knowledge of the attack: (k) Other inhumane acts of a similar character intentionally causing great suffering, or serious injury to body or to mental or physical health. Most respectfully, Rose Webster My open letter to athletes and sponsors: http://roserightswrongs.blogspot.ca/2016/07/an-open-letter-to-athletes-and-sponsors.html My public service announcements: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1gRa2mme6k https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoOwL6Fhjak Authors note: I cannot use italics or hyperlink. Ergo, links are not hidden. How your signature helps: each time a supporter signs a petition, an email is automatically sent directly to those being petitioned (governments, companies and individuals). When hundreds or even thousands of emails arrive in their inboxes, the message is impossible to ignore. Keep up-to-date: a new Facebook page devoted to keeping the public and athletes fully informed: https://www.facebook.com/StopZikaFirst