JOHANNESBURG
Concerns over the ongoing Ebola outbreak in Central Africa have cast a shadow over preparations for the upcoming FIFA World Cup, although health experts say the overall risk to international fans remains low.
The expanded 48-team tournament, jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, is scheduled to run from June 11 to July 19. Organisers and public health authorities are continuing preparations while monitoring the evolving disease situation.
According to global health expert Dr Oliver Johnson of King’s College London, ordinary visitors attending World Cup matches face a very low risk of Ebola exposure. He noted that Ebola transmission has historically remained extremely limited in high-income countries and has generally involved isolated cases rather than widespread community spread.
The comments come as the outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo has intensified. The World Health Organization declared the Ebola outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo virus strain a Public Health Emergency of International Concern earlier this month after cases spread across borders into Uganda. WHO emphasized that the event does not currently meet the threshold of a pandemic emergency.
Recent reports indicate hundreds of suspected cases and more than 130 suspected deaths linked to the outbreak, with health officials warning that numbers may continue rising as surveillance expands. The outbreak has become more difficult to contain because transmission circulated before detection and is occurring in regions facing conflict and mobility challenges. The situation has already affected World Cup logistics for DR Congo’s national football team.
