The World Health Organization's chief says she has convened an expert committee to consider whether the Rio De Janeiro Olympics should proceed as planned, given recent concerns raised about the threat of the Zika virus.

In a request last month, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen asked WHO's Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan to evaluate whether the Rio games should be delayed or postponed. Chan said in a letter released by Shaheen Friday that she had asked her Zika Emergency Committee to consider the issue.

Chan said that the group would meet soon and that their advice would be made public immediately.

Chan said she "deeply appreciate(d)" the concerns raised by Shaheen in her original letter to WHO last month, which noted that the games could speed up the global spread of Zika.