Kirsten Alexandra Eberhardt1, Christof David Vinnemeier2, Johanna Dehnerdt1, Thierry Rolling2, Robert Steffen3, Jakob Peter Cramer4. 1. Clinical Research Unit, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany. 2. Clinical Research Unit, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany; Section Tropical Medicine, I. Department of Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany. 3. University of Zurich Centre for Travel Medicine, WHO Collaborating Centre for Travelers' Health, Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute, Zurich, Switzerland. 4. Clinical Research Unit, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany. Electronic address: cramer@bni-hamburg.de.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Health threats during mass gatherings, such as the FIFA world cup 2014 differ from traditional health risks. The influence of event type, demographics of attendees and environmental conditions are still not fully understood. METHODS: An observational, prospective case-control survey conducted at the Frankfurt international airport in Germany on 544 travelers to the FIFA world cup 2014 and 432 regular travelers to Brazil departing after the end of the world cup. RESULTS: Travelers to the FIFA world cup 2014 were predominantly male whereas the gender distribution in the control group was more balanced. The majority in both groups obtained insect bites and sunburns as environmental risk factors. Every third traveler suffered from diarrheal complaints in both groups, whereas the proportion of travelers with flu-like symptoms was higher in the case group. Travelers to the FIFA world cup 2014 indicated alcohol intake and sexual contacts outside of a relationship more frequently than travelers in the control group. CONCLUSIONS: The additional health risks of travelers to sporting events as the FIFA world cup 2014 should be addressed in addition to traditional health threats in pre-travel counseling for the Summer Olympic Games 2016 in Brazil.
BACKGROUND: Health threats during mass gatherings, such as the FIFA world cup 2014 differ from traditional health risks. The influence of event type, demographics of attendees and environmental conditions are still not fully understood. METHODS: An observational, prospective case-control survey conducted at the Frankfurt international airport in Germany on 544 travelers to the FIFA world cup 2014 and 432 regular travelers to Brazil departing after the end of the world cup. RESULTS: Travelers to the FIFA world cup 2014 were predominantly male whereas the gender distribution in the control group was more balanced. The majority in both groups obtained insect bites and sunburns as environmental risk factors. Every third traveler suffered from diarrheal complaints in both groups, whereas the proportion of travelers with flu-like symptoms was higher in the case group. Travelers to the FIFA world cup 2014 indicated alcohol intake and sexual contacts outside of a relationship more frequently than travelers in the control group. CONCLUSIONS: The additional health risks of travelers to sporting events as the FIFA world cup 2014 should be addressed in addition to traditional health threats in pre-travel counseling for the Summer Olympic Games 2016 in Brazil.
Authors: Ziad A Memish; Robert Steffen; Paul White; Osman Dar; Esam I Azhar; Avinash Sharma; Alimuddin Zumla Journal: Lancet Date: 2019-05-18 Impact factor: 79.321