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American medical facilities are reportedly on high-alert for deadly bugs being brought over by foreign fans.
14:17, Sun, May 3, 2026 Updated: 14:27, Sun, May 3, 2026
A packed crowd in the stands at the World Cup in 2022 (Image: Getty)
US hospitals are preparing for a mass invasions of potentially deadly infections and viruses spread by millions of fans attending this summer's FIFA World Cup.
Doctors and virologists fear the huge influx of fans from locations across the world could help potentially fatal bugs such as measles, hepatitis A, typhoid, malaria, SARS and even Ebola take hold in the United States.
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Speaking to a local health journal HealthBeat Doctor Vikramjit Mukherjee, chief of critical care and the special pathogens program at Bellevue Hospital, in New York, said: "We’re looking at it as if it’s a huge global migration event.
He added: “The whole health care system in New York City will be a bit on alert for all of these events.”
Around 10 million people are expected to head for North America this summer when 48 teams will battle it out to decide who is the best in the world.
Donald Trump being handed the World Cup trophy in the Oval Office (Image: Getty)
The tournament will be jointly hosted by sixteen cities, eleven in the United States, three in Mexico, and two in Canada.
Dr Mukherjee added: "We’re training a lot, through June, we’re going to the hospitals next to the MetLife stadium (which is hosting fixtures), where people will be more prone to present with symptoms, and making sure their front-end capabilities are ready."
According to the research paper, "Sports fever! Getting the ball rolling to prevent infections at the World Cup™ and beyond", which has been published ahead of the World Cup on the US National Library of Medicine, the tournament will "substantially increase transmission of infectious diseases."
It adds: "Physical proximity, the sharing of food, drinks, utensils and celebratory embraces (after goals, victories) are potential mechanisms of transmission.
"Infectious diseases can spread through various pathways, including respiratory droplets, aerosol particles, fecal-oral routes, direct contact (ie, touching and sexual transmission) and indirect contact with contaminated surfaces.
"This risk is augmented as mass gatherings that concentrate people with diverse health statuses, levels of vaccination, and recent travel from a wide range of countries that may have variable infectious disease endemicity not present in a specific host country— all resulting in an environment where susceptible individuals are exposed to a wide range of potential pathogens.
"Thus, a competitive “mega sporting event”, such as the World Cup or the Olympics, requires healthcare personnel (HCP) and public health officials to support preparedness efforts and to have awareness of implications for players, coaches, event staff, officials, volunteers and spectators, both in and out of the stadium."
A hazmat team in Los Angeles during a training drill (Image: Getty)
A training exercise saw 500 health providers from New York and New Jersey come together for four days to practice emergency air transport with a group of pretend patients suffering from infectious diseases from Toronto, a World Cup host city, to LaGuardia Airport in Queens.
The tournament is being jointly held in the US, Canada and Mexico and starts on June 10. England will be based in Kansas City and will play their other two group games in Dallas and Boston.
Dr. Gregory Sugalski, an Army veteran and chair of the hospital’s emergency medicine, told The New York Post: “We understand the concerns sports fans might have when it comes to attending an event with so many others, from the US and from other countries.
“But I want to say two words to them: ‘No fear’.
“Our staff at Hackensack Meridian has been training and drilling for two years for this event. We’ve been on the frontline of care for major NFL games for the Giants and Jets, alongside high-profile concerts for celebrities like Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran and Bruce Springsteen, and major entertainment events like Wrestlemania.”
English (US) · 