The World Cup is presenting a unique challenge for public health officials.Dozens of teams from around the globe — along with millions of their dedicated fans — will descend on major U.S.
cities in the coming weeks.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.It’s the largest in FIFA history, with 39 teams setting up training camps in the United States.
The first match in this country will be June 12 in California, with the last match more than a month later, on July 19, in New Jersey.The scale is unlike that of the Super Bowl or even the Olympic Games, which are generally limited to one city and a shorter time frame.
Soccer enthusiasts tend to travel en masse with their teams from city to city for the matches.Inevitably, some will either arrive ill or get sick along those travels.Despite the ongoing outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and increased scrutiny on incoming passengers from affected areas, experts say the chances that Ebola would spread at World Cup games or viewing parties are extremely slim.
Ebola transmission isn’t respiratory; it’s spread through direct contact with an infected person’s bodily fluids.Healthcare personnel and caregivers are most at risk for exposure.A more likely virus to spread is the extremely contagious measles, which is causing several large outbreaks around the U.S.“I would not be surprised if we saw a measles outbreak linked to the World Cup,” said Andrew Pekosz, a virologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
“Crowds are an ideal place for measles virus to spread.”It takes up to 14 days for the measles rash to appear, so an outbreak before the tournament ends is possible.Because the incubation period can last up to three weeks, foreign fans could potentially be exposed while in the U.S.
and bring the virus back to their home countries.Some matches will be played in Mexico and Canada, which are also dealing with...