Saed News: Concerns about the holding of the 2026 FIFA World Cup have entered a new phase.
According to SAEDNEWS, as the start of the tournament approaches and millions of fans from around the world travel to North America, some health experts have warned that the tournament could become a breeding ground for the spread of this dangerous disease.
Health authorities have stated that the Ebola outbreak in parts of Africa is spreading at an alarming rate, with the number of cases and deaths continuing to rise.
Simon Clarke, Professor of Microbiology at the University of Reading, told The Sun: “The Ebola virus has previously been transmitted from Africa to other parts of the world, so it is entirely possible that this could happen again.”
He added: “The key question is how many people living in affected regions in Africa are able to travel to North America. The likelihood of an infected person among these travelers is low, but not zero. The more travelers there are, the higher the chance of an infected individual entering.”
Clark also referred to the COVID-19 pandemic and said: “During COVID-19, many sporting events were held without spectators, and even the CONCACAF Gold Cup was considered a high-risk event for disease transmission.”
Peter Hotez, head of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, also told CNN: “The likelihood of a widespread outbreak during the World Cup is not zero, but it is also not very high. However, we must be prepared for such a scenario.”
Some experts told The Sun that the presence of just one Ebola-infected fan at the World Cup could cause chaos and force organizers to take immediate measures.
Katherine O’Reilly, Regional Medical Director of International SOS, also said: “Is there a risk of transmission? Yes. Are preventive measures in place? Yes. Do these measures reduce the risk of spread? Yes.”
She further warned: “But in 2014, during the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, we saw an infected person board a plane and travel to Nigeria. There are always unpredictable events that cannot be prevented.”
According to reports, the rare “Bundibugyo” strain of Ebola has so far been identified only in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and has caused more than 220 deaths.
Rebecca Katz, Director of the Center for Global Health Science and Security at Georgetown University, described the 2026 World Cup as “one of the most complex human gatherings in the world.”
For the first time in history, 48 teams will participate in the tournament, making this edition the largest and longest in World Cup history.
It is expected that around 5.5 million fans will travel to North America during the tournament. Among them will be thousands of fans from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Experts warn that an individual, unaware of their infection, could travel from Congo to the United States and be present among the massive crowds.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, warned last week that the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is “spreading beyond the current capacity to respond.”
Another concern is that thousands of people who may have been in contact with infected individuals have not yet been identified, traced, or tested, increasing concerns about controlling the disease.
The World Health Organization has stated that more than 2,000 people who had contact with suspected Ebola cases have still not been identified, traced, or tested, raising further concerns about outbreak containment.
