Behind the Scenes at World Cup, Lots of Disease Busters
Newser • • general
Key Points:
- Health officials are closely monitoring infectious diseases during the North American World Cup, focusing on potential outbreaks of measles, norovirus, dengue fever, and other infections amid large crowds in 16 host cities.
- The Pan American Health Organization has issued warnings about measles, one of the most contagious diseases, as officials prepare for nearly six weeks of mass gatherings at stadiums, bars, and tourist sites.
- Budget constraints and staffing cuts at the CDC have challenged US public health agencies, which are relying on behind-the-scenes advice and a still-developing World Cup disease surveillance dashboard.
- The Health Security Operations Center, a collaboration between Georgetown University and MedStar Health, is analyzing nationwide data including wastewater testing and hospital visits to provide early warnings and daily reports on disease trends to health authorities.
- Wastewater surveillance has detected viruses like rotavirus, hepatitis A, and norovirus, while mosquito testing in Dallas is being expanded to detect tropical viruses such as dengue and chikungunya, aiming to prevent alarmism but act as an early warning system.
