Ebola scare ahead of World Cup: “Enormous challenge”
The worst Ebola outbreak ever could be just around the corner, experts warn.
At the same time, the whole world is packing its bags – for the biggest sporting event of all time.
– It is an enormous challenge, says Susan Reichle, former advisor to USAID.
The Ebola outbreak is gaining momentum in East Africa. On Saturday, 488 cases had been confirmed according to the Democratic Republic of Congo. 82 people have died according to the WHO.
Now experts fear that the outbreak could be worse than the one that raged from 2014 to 2016, when 28,000 were infected and over 11,000 people died from the dreaded hemorrhagic fever. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), things could get worse now if strong efforts are not made, Reuters reports.
And there is a rush to prepare in North America. The World Cup begins on Thursday, June 11, with the first match between Mexico and South Africa in Mexico City.
Bigger than ever
The World Cup, which is played every four years, is the world's largest sporting event. This year, it is bigger than ever, as the number of teams has grown from 32 to 48.
That means that over 1,000 players will participate – but significantly more will be in the stands. According to NBC News, six million tickets have been sold. The previous record from the 1994 World Cup was 3.5 million visitors, writes Bein Sports.
Now the Trump administration is warning that European countries "could face consequences" if they do not do enough to prevent the World Cup from becoming a hotbed of infection, writes NBC News. The US itself has temporarily suspended entry for foreign nationals who have been in the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan or Uganda in the past 21 days.
“Seek the highest appropriate”
US diplomats in Europe received a telegram earlier this week in which they were urged to seek officials at the “highest appropriate level” to request information on how countries are preparing.
A spokesperson for the US State Department tells NBC News that there are no plans to ban Europeans from traveling to the US, but that this could change.
– If countries are affected by cases, we will of course take measures to protect Americans, the source tells the channel.
The tournament will run until July 19 and matches will be played in 16 cities in Mexico, Canada and the United States.
– It is a huge challenge. It really requires constructive cooperation and a lot of planning, says Susan Reichle, former advisor at USAID, to the channel.
Left WHO in the middle of the crisis
The World Health Organization WHO and the African Union's disease control agency CDC launched a plan worth five million kronor on Friday to combat the outbreak.
The United States left the organization earlier this year, when Trump thought it failed during covid. According to Tom Frieden, former director of the US CDC, the United States' new plan to work directly with affected countries could work – but right now it is creating difficulties.
"You can't do it overnight and hope it works, because it won't. It will only lead to widespread disruption to business and essential public services," Tom Frieden told USA Today.
Inga kommentarer:
Skicka en kommentar