ATLANTA — When global soccer fans land in Atlanta this summer to cheer on their favorite teams, doctors and nurses will be constantly evaluating how to keep everyone safe.
Health workers have been planning intensely for more than a year for the FIFA World Cup.
Hantavirus risk low
In the deadly hantavirus outbreak, the CDC says the overall risk to travelers is extremely low.
The Fulton County Board of Health will be monitoring reports from hospitals to spot any emerging health issues.
The director, Dr. Marcus Plescia, says one challenge is that even if someone is exposed to a viral illness, like measles, “that fan may have traveled to Dallas to see their team playing there.”
That’s why health departments in U.S. host cities are collaborating. Seventy-eight matches will be played in 11 U.S. cities, including Miami, Philadelphia and New York.
Preparing for extreme heat
Plescia says they’re also preparing for summer heat.
“In Atlanta, it can get very hot and humid in June and July, so we’re concerned about heat-related injuries,” he said.
Cooling stations will be set up around downtown Atlanta, and plans are in the works for safety messages in the home languages of the teams.
Researcher Theodore Keeping from the Imperial College of London says the top three World Cup cities that could be affected by extreme heat are Dallas, Houston and Atlanta. But the arenas in those cities have air conditioning.
Keeping says, “Even though players are likely to be shielded from the effects of extreme heat, that doesn’t mean fans will be.”
Food safety
Another issue is getting attention: food safety. The Fulton County Board of Health is developing plans to conduct food safety inspections of vendors every single day. They’re also stocking up Narcan to treat any drug overdoses.
Plescia says having the CDC in town gives him confidence for taking on the expected and the unexpected.
“We know those folks right there, so we would have some of the top experts in the world at our availability,” he said.
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