Ebola risk for World Cup is ‘extremely low’, but US is ready, experts say

The risk that a traveller infected with Ebola could arrive in the United States during the 2026 World Cup tournament that kicked off ⁠last week is low but not zero, and if ⁠that happens, US hospitals are ready to respond, US infectious disease experts say.

During the 2014 West African Ebola outbreak, a Liberian man, Thomas Eric Duncan, arrived in a Dallas hospital with Ebola symptoms and was turned away before being admitted.

That led to $260m in US funding for Ebola preparedness training and response capabilities and 13 ⁠specialised treatment centres – all intended to help hospitals identify, isolate and safely care for suspected Ebola patients.

“We’re not going to be able to prevent 100% of infections, but we certainly are the most prepared that we have ever been,” said Dr Gavin Harris, an expert in serious communicable diseases at Emory University in Atlanta, one of 11 US World Cup host cities.

Public health officials and hospitals in the US host cities have been preparing for a range of infectious ⁠disease threats, as 6.5 million fans travel across North America during the 39-day event featuring 104 matches in the US, Mexico and Canada.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Pan American Health Organization and the World Health Organization (WHO) have all described the risk of Ebola to World Cup host countries as low, citing measles, COVID-19 and influenza – which spread when large crowds gather – as the most likely threats.

But the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) that has infected more than 675 people and killed more than 135 remains a concern.

“The risk of Ebola to anyone at the World Cup is extremely low. Ebola isn’t airborne and doesn’t spread through casual contact – it requires direct contact with the body fluids ‌of someone who is ill,” said Dr Tom Frieden, chief executive of Resolve to Save Lives and former director of the CDC.