Here’s a great post from YLE (see also here and here) about the public health operation surrounding the upcoming World Cup in the USA and Mexico and Canada.
The World Cup’s Hidden Health Operation
Because you need to have a plan in place when there are a lot of people from all over the world coming together in one – ok, several – places. This isn’t rocket surgery: lots of people, high density events, different pathogens from all over the globe. It’s microbial heaven.
A lot of people are concerned about the nasty stuff: Hanta Andean virus, and Ebola, but that shouldn’t really be an issue in North America.
(Elsewhere though…
…but that’s for another post.)
However… measles, dengue, covid and all the usual nasties will surely be present and partying hard.
And it does seem like the battered and bewildered American healthcare and epidemiological systems are doing what they can, despite The Orange Turd and The Anti-Vax Kid having systematically stripped them of powers and funding over the past 18 months.
The biggest saviour of them all though, might be the fact that no-one actually turns up because of politics or because of prices.
I love football, but I hate FIFA and I’m not a huge fan of the American Government right now, so I’m sorry to say that I would be delighted to see this whole tournament fail completely.
It won’t, of course: that won’t be allowed to happen. But I can’t wait to see it struggle. And if fewer people get sick because of it – well, that’s just a bonus.