The start of the 2016 Rio Olympics remains more than four months away, but the Brazilian government already appears to be sounding the alarm bell.

Growing concerns about the Zika virus, the area's high crime rates and ongoing political turmoil in the region have resulted in meager ticket sales and a widening sense of apathy as the first games slated for South America fast approach.

Half of Tickets Still Remain?

Rio 2016 organizing committee spokesman Phil Wilkinson recently told reporters just 50 percent of tickets have sold so far and for the Paralympics that follow sales are at just 12 percent.

It all has some speculating that the Brazilian government could soon move to purchase many of the unsold tickets to avoid the embarrassment of The Games playing to half empty stadiums.

"There is a perception that the Brazilian population has not yet woken up for the Games," said Brazil's minister of sport Ricardo Leyser. "We are going to work energetically on this because it's still not in people's heads. We need to sound an alert so that people remember this event and go and buy tickets."

Indeed, Brazil was awarded the event during a much calmer time in its history. In 2009, the country was in the throes of a prolonged spurt of economic growth and its political universe seemed stable.

Today, President Dilma Rousseff faces impeachment and an unrelenting recession has forced massive cuts in The Games onetime budget, with everything from security to the opening ceremony to the actual facilities for athletes taking a hit.

Zika Virus a Concern

In addition, the mosquito-transmitted Zika virus that is believed to cause serious birth effects if contracted by pregnant women has sparked travel warnings all over the globe. Several media outlets recently reported the virus is now feared to have hit the Miami area.

Another major Brazilian worry is the issue of safety. It's been well documented that the country suffers from one of the world's most violent cultures, with frequent shootouts between rival gangs near the opening ceremony stadium often par for the course.

Already, some 85,000 police, soldiers and other personnel are slated to be deployed to man the grounds, twice the number of such personnel that was on hand for the 2012 Games in London.