No germs significantly affected the football World Cup in Brazil, in 2014, or the Beijing Summer Olympics, in 2008. A few dozen cases of measles were recorded at the Vancouver Winter Games, in 2010, and some 60 cases of gastroenteritis in Munich during the Football World Cup, in 2006.
Although viruses and bacteria don't always strike hard during large-scale sporting events, these occasions "are systematically associated with the fear of epidemics," noted Mircea Sofonea, epidemiologist and researcher in the evolution of infectious diseases at the University of Montpellier.
When it comes to major sporting events, there's always a massive population to contend with – some from overseas – which could be carriers of pathogens. Added to this, when competitions are held in summer, temperatures can weaken the refrigeration cold chain and encourage food poisoning.
France is expected to welcome 11.3 million visitors to the Paris region during the Olympic Games (July 26 to August 11), and then 3.9 million for the Paralympic Games (August 28 to September 8). In total, 40% will be coming from the various French regions (excluding the Ile-de-France area around Paris) and 13% from abroad, according to a January note from the Paris tourist office. Is France prepared for possible epidemics?
While the Committee for Health Risk Monitoring and Anticipation (COVARS) has not issued an opinion on the Games as such, its president, Brigitte Autran, said there is "a very good awareness" among health authorities.
The latter have chosen to reinforce existing resources rather than make any major upheaval. "The more specific protocols you implement, the less people are used to them, and the more likely you are to run into implementation difficulties," explained Marie Baville, department head at the health crisis center of the Directorate General for Health (DGS). Inaugurated on March 1, this center is an evolution of the former sub-directorate for health monitoring and safety. Concurrently, the department has grown from 45 to 69 staff.
In the run-up to competitions, the DGS has identified some 40 hazards with a health component. These range from storms and crowd movements to infectious risks. Each hazard has been assigned a "criticality" rating, based on the probability of occurrence and severity of impact. This mapping is regularly updated and made available to the Olympic Intelligence Center, under the Interior Ministry.
Dengue under surveillance
Arboviruses are on the radar. Diseases caused by arboviruses are transmitted from infected to healthy people by mosquitoes. In mainland France, it's the tiger mosquito, present since 2004, which can transmit dengue, Zika and chikungunya.
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