Ebola risk for World Cup is ‘extremely low’, but US is ready, experts say

They have also compiled guidance for physicians, raising awareness of illnesses not typical of their home cities, including mosquito-borne conditions such as malaria, dengue and chikungunya.

The US, Mexico and Canada have instituted airport ⁠screening and travel bans restricting the entry of non-citizens who have recently travelled to countries affected by the outbreak, and the US has urged Europe to impose similar restrictions. Harris said those ⁠bans are likely to decrease the chances of Ebola at World Cup venues.

To comply with US restrictions, the DRC national football team left the country in May and trained in Belgium before travelling to the US.

In each host city, FIFA, local public health officials and hospital systems have formed medical committees that have been conducting Ebola and other infectious disease threat assessments based on the teams that will play in their cities, diseases prevalent within their home countries, visa restrictions and stadium logistics, Harris said.

Some areas have discussed supplying disease-specific ⁠treatments or protective gear to the venues and are using surveillance tools, including wastewater monitoring, air quality data and electronic medical records, to detect unusual illness clusters.

FIFA said medical-related risks are assessed as part of overall tournament planning and managed in close coordination with the host cities, which provide medical leaders to oversee and coordinate services.

It said it is ⁠monitoring the Ebola outbreak and is in contact with sporting and health authorities in the DRC and the three host countries.

Dr ⁠Michael Osterholm, an infectious disease expert at the University of Minnesota, said planning for mass gatherings in the US is not new.

“State and local health departments working in conjunction with CDC have for many years been at the forefront of individuals coming into this country,” he said.

To help with disease monitoring and coordination, Georgetown University has set up an independent Health Security Operations Center, in collaboration with more than 30 public and private sector entities.

More than 700 state and local health authorities have signed up for the group’s daily reports, as have some 60 federal partners, FIFA and ‌the CDC.

Still, staff cuts at the CDC, the US departure from WHO, and strain on state and local health departments that have been battling the biggest US measles outbreak in decades have taken a toll, Frieden and two other experts said.

“My biggest concern is whether a CDC that’s lost thousands of staff has the capacity, support, and mandate to move fast enough – both here and in DRC,” Frieden said.

The US Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the ‌CDC, ‌did not respond to a request for comment.

Jeanne Marrazzo, chief executive of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, said Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr’s cuts to public health have led to an exodus from government agencies.

“Nonetheless, we know the people who are still there are working around the clock in many cases to try to keep us safe,” she said in a briefing.