ATLANTA — Atlanta is one of the host cities for the world’s biggest soccer competition. And with the international soccer competition coming to town, the public health concern of spreading many diseases also rises.
The United States, Canada, and Mexico have announced public health travel measures for people coming from African regions that are currently dealing with Ebola outbreaks. This coordinated approach aims to protect citizens and the millions of visitors, fans, teams, and tourists expected to travel during the World Cup.
To date, no cases of Ebola have been confirmed in the U.S. because of these outbreaks. The overall risk to the American public and travelers remains low.
As a precautionary measure, the CDC has implemented temporary enhanced public health entry screenings and issued travel health notices related to Ebola outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda.
Get the latest Ebola outbreak information here: Ebola Outbreak: Current Situation | Ebola | CDC
For more information on the Ebola virus, click here: Diseases of Interest – Fulton County Board of Health
If you need assistance, contact the Fulton County Board of Health’s Epidemiology department at 770-520-7500, option 7 or the Georgia Department of Public Health’s Acute Disease Epidemiology Section at 404-657-2588 during business hours Monday through Friday, or 1-866-PUB-HLTH (1-866-782-4584) after-hours on evenings and weekends.
Atlanta will host eight matches in this year’s World Cup. The dates are June 15, 18, 21, 24, 27 and July 1, 7, and 15. All games will take place at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which will be referred to as Atlanta Stadium during the event to comply with FIFA regulations that prohibit the use of corporate sponsor names in stadium titles. Along with these matches, the city is expected to host an array of events centered around the tournament.