Public health experts tracking infectious disease risks this summer
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Infectious disease experts will be keeping an eye on the trio of events drawing hundreds of thousands in Massachusetts this summer, starting with the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Why it matters: Mass gatherings, from FIFA's tournament to July 4th to Tall Ships, may become vectors for airborne diseases, sexually transmitted infections and other illnesses.
Threat level: Nahid Bhadelia, founding director of BU's Center on Emerging Infectious Diseases and a former White House senior policy adviser, says the biggest risks so far appear to include:
- Measles
- Meningitis outbreaks (due to plummeting vaccination rates)
- Sexually transmitted diseases
- Vector-borne diseases spread through mosquitoes or ticks
State of play: BEACON Bio, an infectious disease surveillance platform Bhadelia runs out of BU, will share updates about infectious disease cases and outbreaks related to the World Cup, serving as an early warning system.
- BU has also developed a map showing projected crowds at the major events this summer, including Juneteenth and others.
What they're saying: "Risks like respiratory infections or meningitis or diarrheal infections, all those become heightened because there's so many more people closer together," Bhadelia tells Axios.
- The influx of international travelers, including many who will bounce around host cities alongside U.S.-based fans, adds another layer of risk.
Meanwhile, Dallas-based Verily Health plans to use its wastewater monitoring tools to detect traces of COVID-19, the flu, RSV, norovirus and measles, publishing the results on its dashboard.
- As of Friday, Verily showed no signs of measles, a low risk of COVID-19, RSV and the flu and a slightly higher risk of norovirus.
Massachusetts public health officials, who test wastewater for COVID-19, will add the flu, RSV, measles, norovirus, mpox and hepatitis A to their list, per WBUR.
- The state shares the data on its own dashboard.
Pro tips: State public health officials encourage people to stay up to date with vaccines and consider masking and testing if they experience symptoms of the flu or other illnesses.
💠Steph's thought bubble: Some of the state's tips shouldn't need to be said, like washing your hands regularly (for at least 30 seconds) or covering your mouth with your elbow when sneezing.
- Don't be gross!