Doctors eye measles and flu risks as World Cup brings crowds to US
Public health teams are preparing for measles, respiratory viruses and foodborne illness as World Cup fans travel among U.S. host cities.
By Priya Raghavan · Science Reporter
3 min read
The World Cup is forcing U.S. public health officials to prepare for an unusually spread-out mass gathering, NBC News reported. Doctors told NBC News that measles, flu and stomach viruses are a greater concern than Ebola as teams and fans move among host cities.
The tournament is the largest in FIFA history, according to NBC News, with 39 teams holding training camps in the United States. The first U.S. match is scheduled for June 12 in California, and the final U.S. match is set for July 19 in New Jersey.
NBC News reported that the event differs from the Super Bowl or Olympics because World Cup fans often follow their teams from city to city, extending the period and geography of possible exposure. U.S. Customs and Border Protection has said millions of fans are expected.
Measles is the leading concern
Health experts told NBC News that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is unlikely to drive spread at matches or fan events. Ebola does not spread through the air; NBC News reported that transmission requires direct contact with bodily fluids from an infected person, putting health workers and caregivers at higher risk.
Measles presents a different problem because it is highly contagious and is already causing several large outbreaks in the United States, NBC News reported. Andrew Pekosz, a virologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, told NBC News that crowded settings are well suited for measles transmission and that a World Cup-linked outbreak would not surprise him.
NBC News reported that measles symptoms can take time to appear. A rash can develop up to 14 days after infection, and the incubation period can last as long as three weeks, creating a chance that visitors exposed in the U.S. could travel home before becoming ill.
Some matches are also taking place in Mexico and Canada, which NBC News reported are dealing with thousands of measles cases. The Pan American Health Organization has urged officials in host cities to strengthen measles surveillance before the tournament begins.
Dr. Marcus Plescia, director of the Fulton County, Georgia, Board of Health, told NBC News that his agency has spent months preparing in the Atlanta area. He said staff have worked to ensure access to vaccines and immunoglobulin shots, which can be used after some exposures, and have planned for possible isolation questions involving visitors in hotels.
Respiratory and foodborne illnesses
Flu and Covid are at low summer levels in the United States, NBC News reported, but Pekosz told the outlet that travelers from parts of the Southern Hemisphere, where it is winter, could bring influenza infections. He also said illnesses less familiar to many U.S. doctors, including malaria and dengue fever, could take longer to diagnose.
Foodborne and gastrointestinal viruses may create the heaviest workload for local agencies, according to NBC News. Plescia told NBC News that Fulton County will inspect temporary vendors and food trucks at festivals and community events, calling food safety the biggest task for his team.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is preparing a dashboard for state and local health officials, NBC News reported. More than 30 CDC staffers are assigned to monitor wastewater data and help local agencies track illness, while about 170 others are available if states request help with an outbreak or another major health issue tied to the games.
Georgetown University and MedStar Health also launched a Health Security Operations Center in Washington, D.C., NBC News reported. The center will review wastewater findings, de-identified electronic health records, emergency response information and mobility data, with public situation reports and daily briefings planned.
Dr. Ethan Booker of MedStar Health told NBC News that officials could compare emergency department visits for vomiting and diarrhea with wastewater signals to spot a norovirus outbreak. Rebecca Katz of Georgetown University said the project will also track how fans move between cities.
This story draws on original reporting from NBC News.