Rihanna was reported to have been the headline act at the Lollapalooza Colombia festival in South America.
But just weeks before it was meant to take place, the Bajan beauty has left the festival in tatters by refusing to perform at the show.
A source told the RCN Radio of Colombia that Rihanna’s reasoning for leaving was over fears of the virus Zika.
Express.co.uk has contacted a representative for the singer about these claims.
The South American nation has had 72,000 cases and is the second-worst hit for the virus after Brazil.
But she isn’t alone with her concerns over the virus.
The Rio de Janerio Olympics has been overshadowed by the outbreak, with many high-profile athletes refusing to take part.
Already golfing pros such as Jason Day, Rory McIlroy and Hideki Matsuyama have announced that they won’t be going to Rio.
But while many pros have turned their back on the contest, America’s National Institutes of Health have announced that they will instead use it as a platform to look into the virus more closely.
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The NIH will test samples of athletes in Rio
Ana Beatriz, a baby girl with microcephaly, celebrate her four months in Lagoa do Carro, Pernambuco, Brazil
Researchers hope that by monitoring athletes, it will help to explain the origins of the highly-infectious disease.
In a released statement, acting NIHD director Catherine Y. Spong, M.D said:
“Zika virus infection poses many unknown risks, especially to those of reproductive age.
“Monitoring the health and reproductive outcomes of members of the U.S. Olympic team offers a unique opportunity to answer important questions and help address an ongoing public health emergency.”
They will test blood, semen, vaginal secretions and saliva samples from volunteers to help determine the cause of the virus and what impact it has on the body.
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1,000 athletes from the US Olympic team will be tested for Zika
Zika has had a devastating impact on South America, with 1,970 cases in Puerto Rico alone – while Brazil has had a 150,000 estimated cases of the virus.
While it is mainly spread by bites from infected mosquitos, it can also be transmitted through sex.
The virus, which causes fever and a rash, has a devastating impact on unborn babies, causing many children to be born with birth defects such as microcephaly.
It is feared too that the virus could be linked to further developmental problems too, such as feeding problems and limb abnormalities.
[Source:- Express]
