The United States (US) says that epidemiologists will be sifting through sewage and social media with the goal of keeping soccer fans and the public safe from severe illness during the Soccer World Cup.
A public health squad based in Washington, will monitor wastewater and internet chatter- to detect and track infectious diseases should they emerge in cities hosting World Cup athletes, their matches, and millions of visiting spectators.
The 40-day event officially kicks off in Mexico on Thursday, followed by the tournament’s first matches on US and Mexican soil the following day.
More than 6.5 million soccer fans are expected to travel to North America from over 100 countries to witness 78 games in total. Rebecca Katz is an epidemiologist at the University of Georgetown.
The United States has left the World Health Organization, so that means coordinating information, sharing information across Mexico and Canada.
And the United States is a little more complicated than it used to be.
We, though, are coordinating directly with the Pan American Health Organization.
So, we’ll be able to receive information from them, which will pull in that data from Mexico and Canada and then be able to share directly with local and state partners.
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