US HOSPITALS are on alert for mass infections, including deadly viruses, ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Infectious disease experts in New York and New Jersey, where eight soccer matches are being held, have been in training for the influx of visitors for years.
Up to 10 million people from around the world are expected to descend to watch 48 teams play soccer this summer.
While many are looking forward to the competition, doctors are warning that the “huge migration event” poses serious health risks.
On top of standard medical emergencies and mass casualty incidents, the sheer number of people coming from across the globe heightens the risk of the spread of highly infectious and sometimes deadly diseases.
These include measles, hepatitis A, typhoid, malaria, SARS and even more life-threatening diseases like cholera and Ebola.
Greater New York alone is expected to see over 1.2million visitors this summer with people not only going to the MetLife Stadium, but also attending viewing parties in places like Central Park.
“The whole health care system in New York City will be a bit on alert for all of these events,” Dr. Vikramjit Mukherjee, chief of critical care and the special pathogens program at Bellevue Hospital told Health Beat.
“We’re looking at it as if it’s a huge global migration event.”
“Because of what we’ve seen in the last few years — Ebola, Covid, and mpox — we feel that we will be the ones who will be affected first for the next outbreak, and therefore have an additional responsibility of keeping prepared,” Mukherjee added.
He explained that hundreds of health care professionals have been undergoing rigorous drills which include actors and even commercial planes ahead of the tournament.
They are training not just to know what to do and how to treat different patients, but also to spot signs and symptoms of these “high consequence” diseases.
While health officials want people to be vigilant, they also want soccer fans to feel safe.
Dr. Gregory Sugalski, chair of emergency medicine at Hackensack Meridian Health in New Jersey, the closest Level 1 trauma center to the MetLife Stadium, has a two word message for visitors.
Source : https://www.the-sun.com/health/16305646/hospitals-fifa-world-cup-infectious-diseases-soccer-games/