News that shaped 2016: Trump, Brexit, Russia’s Olympic ban & more

Zika virus outbreak

Zika has been known about for almost seven decades, so when the World Health Organization declared it a "public health emergency of international concern" in February, the most alarming aspect was just how little was known about the disease, which was spreading “explosively” through the world.

For decades, it had been regarded as a rare tropical disease present in some countries in Africa and southeast Asia. But the fever traveled to Brazil sometime in 2013, where it gradually spread, before public health officials began noticing that many patients suffering from headaches, a fever and a rash tested negative for other common diseases such as dengue fever.

READ MORE: Zika found to change human cells – report

But the worst has begun already in 2015, when an abnormally high number of babies born suffering from microcephaly began to emerge. More than 2,200 cases have been recorded in Brazil alone, though the numbers are likely to go much higher, and many fetuses in infected mothers are likely to suffer some less visible but also damaging consequences of the infection. For adults, millions of whom have been infected – most without symptoms – Guillain-Barre syndrome, a debilitating neurological disorder, remains a risk.

Although officials said no visitors were infected with the Zika virus during the 2016 Rio Olympics, the disease still managed to dent tourism in the country.

Zika also caused panic in the US after the first virus-related cases were registered there. Tourists were warned to “think twice” before visiting Florida’s Disneyworld because of an “increased” risk of contracting the virus. US federal authorities also said that pregnant women and their partners should avoid Miami Beach – one of the most popular tourist destinations in the US – after mosquitoes in the area were found to transmit the virus.

READ MORE: Pregnant women should keep off Miami Beach due to Zika virus spread – official

The US Food and Drug Administration even approved genetically engineered mosquitoes to combat the virus and demanded that all blood donations be tested for Zika. The US eventually tried too hard to fight the virus, as anti-Zika spraying in South Carolina resulted in unexpected deaths of millions of honeybees.

A health worker carries out fumigation as part of preventive measures against the Zika virus and other mosquito-borne diseases at the cemetery of Carabayllo on the outskirts of Lima, Peru February 1, 2016. © Mariana Bazo / Reuters

In November, the WHO declared that the Zika virus was no longer a worldwide emergency, though as it continues to find new hosts all over the world, it is unlikely to be completely eliminated in the coming years, even with multiple vaccines in development.

Russia’s Olympic ban

The recent series of allegations of systemic doping within Russia started with a German documentary in 2014, but over the past year, the innuendo of allegations has been replaced with the hammer of punishment that has struck again and again.

READ MORE: Putin: Russian Paralympic ban 'cynical & immoral'

July’s report by WADA’s Richard McLaren accused Russia of operating a sample-tampering system used to clear hundreds of doped athletes for at least half a decade.

© Valentin Flauraud / Reuters

The system was purportedly used even at major events, including the Sochi Olympics in 2014, and was allegedly approved at a ministerial level.

The results meant that more than a quarter of Russia’s Olympic team – mostly track & field athletes – did not travel to the Rio Olympics, mostly due to team, not individual, violations. Weeks later, all Russian Paralympians were banned from their edition of the Games, and the next Winter Paralympics. All through the year, Russian athletes have had their medals from Beijing 2008 and London 2012 taken away.

READ MORE: All 63 Russian blood samples from Sochi 2014 were re-analyzed as negative – IOC

In December, McLaren published the second part of his report, accusing more than 1,000 additional athletes of participating in the doping program, and leading to the removal of the bobsleigh and skeleton world championships from Sochi, with a similar threat hanging over other sports events scheduled to take place in Russia.

Turkey: Coup and crackdown

With Turkey’s history of military coups, and growing tension over President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s strengthening grip on power inside the country, the failed attempt July 15 was not a historical anomaly, but it is still shocking to think that the elected leader of a democratic state was minutes away from being seized, or possibly killed by special forces sent by the plotters.