The CDC says Ebola risk remains low to Americans, but World Cup travel linked to Congo’s Houston base camp and group stage game has officials preparing.
HOUSTON — Houston health officials and infectious disease experts are closely monitoring an Ebola outbreak in parts of Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo as Houston prepares to host World Cup visitors this summer.
The outbreak involves a rarer strain of Ebola that doctors say behaves differently from more common forms of the virus. More than 80 deaths have been reported in affected regions, and a U.S. doctor recently tested positive after treating an infected patient overseas.
The concern in Houston stems from the fact that the DR Congo national soccer team is expected to use Houston as its home base during the FIFA World Cup, with players, staff and fans anticipated to spend several weeks in the city.
Dr. John McCullers, dean of the Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine at the University of Houston, said the virus is highly deadly but does not spread easily.
“It’s one of those infectious diseases that’s really, really deadly, but it’s also harder to get because you have to have really direct contact with bodily fluids of an infected person,” McCullers said.
The CDC has invoked Title 42 restrictions limiting some travel from impacted regions for 30 days. However, doctors say questions remain about how screening and monitoring will work ahead of the tournament.
Luis Ostrosky, chief epidemiology officer for Memorial Hermann Health System and chief of infectious diseases for UTHealth, said Houston hospitals have spent years preparing for highly infectious diseases.
“We need to be concerned and prepared, but not panicked at this point,” Ostrosky said.
Experts emphasized the biggest concern is not necessarily the soccer team itself, but the possibility of infected travelers arriving from affected regions during the tournament.
“I wouldn’t worry about the soccer team,” McCullers said. “I would maybe worry about individual travelers who might get here from affected areas.”
Houston’s World Cup host committee said it will follow up with a response to our questions. Congo’s football federation has not yet responded.
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