Fears of a possible accelerated spread of the Ebola virus are intensifying ahead of the World Cup, with millions of fans set to travel to North America for the competition.
Health experts point out that the situation in Central Africa remains worrying. According to estimates, more than 2,000 potential carriers of the virus have yet to be identified, while the outbreak continues to expand and the number of cases and victims is rising.
“Ebola has spread outside of Africa in the past, so it is very possible that it will spread again this time. The question you need to ask yourself is how many people from the infected area of africa will afford to travel to north america?
Cwhat are the chances of an infected person being in that relatively small group of people? Ethere is a chance for this to happen, and the more people who travel, the more likely it is that an infected person will go unnoticed. I remember during the covid pandemic all sporting events were closed to the public and the Gold Cup was even considered a super spread event!”admitted Simon Clarke, a microbiologist at the University of Reading, according to The Sun.
Specialists warn that the presence of a single spectator infected with Ebola at the World Cup could generate panic and prompt the organizers to intervene quickly to limit health risks. Dr. Katherine O’Reilly, regional medical director at International SOS, says the risk of the Ebola virus reaching North America remains low, but steps must be taken to prevent an epidemic.
“Is there potential for spread? Yes. Have measures been put in place? Yes. Are these measures likely to keep it under control? Yes. But, iIn 2014, when we had the epidemic in West Africa, I saw a sick person get on a plane and go to Nigeria. So there are unknowns and you can’t stop such situations!“also admitted Dr. Katherine O’Reilly, for the source cited above.
This year’s World Cup, a “mass” gathering
The Bundibugyo strain, a rare variant of the Ebola virus, has so far only been identified in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the disease has caused more than 220 deaths.
The current edition of the World Cup is a historic one, being organized for the first time with the participation of 48 national teams. The expansion of the format makes the competition the widest and longest in the tournament’s history. In the coming weeks, millions of supporters are expected in North America for the event, including fans from the Democratic Republic of Congo, the team present in their second appearance at a World Cup.
In this context, experts draw attention to the risk that some infected people, but who do not show obvious symptoms, travel without knowing that they are carriers of the virus.
How does Ebola manifest itself? The most likely infection scenario
Robert Dingwall, an expert in medical sociology, pointed out that one of the main reasons for concern about Ebola is the ability of the virus to spread rapidly under certain conditions.
“The worst case scenario is that a person gets infected before they even start the very long journey from this part of the world to North America. Then he gets off the plane after possibly infecting one or two people. One of the problems with Ebola is that the initial symptoms are virtually indistinguishable from many other conditions. You have a little chills and a fever, and that is simply the most plausible explanation for what happened on this plane. But really severe symptoms don’t appear until about 48 hours, so there will likely be many false alarms!”Dingwall admitted.
Authorities in all three host countries have announced that passengers arriving at airports may be subject to medical checks. The measures will remain in force for the entire duration of the competition and could be strengthened before matches involving teams from regions considered to be at high epidemiological risk.
