Officials monitor World Cup for Ebola, hantavirus risks

Added: 2026-05-26

[00:00:00]Fans from around the globe will travel to North Texas for the FIFA World Cup.

[00:00:04]At the same time, global health leaders are monitoring a rise in certain diseases abroad like Ebola.

[00:00:10]>> Yeah, Fox Sports' Steven Dial has more on how Dallas County health officials are preparing.

[00:00:15]Health officials around the world are monitoring an Ebola outbreak in Africa, rising hantavirus cases out of Argentina, and other illnesses. This as millions are preparing to come to the United States for the World Cup.

[00:00:28]Thursday morning, the US government said due to the Ebola outbreak, all US-bound citizens who are coming from the Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan must enter only through Washington Dulles International Airport for enhanced screenings.

[00:00:42]>> We're certainly uh very concerned and uh making sure that uh everyone is thinking about these possibilities and and prepared for uh anything that may happen. Congo's national team will be based in Houston for the World Cup next month. And depending on how far they advance, they could play in Arlington. I talked to Dallas County Health and Human Services Director Dr. Philip Wong, who says they are looking at more than just Ebola. He says they are monitoring other things as well. There's something more from the state health department that we're prioritizing by country even what, you know, uh conditions might be of concern. But then, also as I said, things like heat-related illness are one of the biggest things that might potentially affecting the most people.

[00:01:28]Uh but also uh I mean, there's even things like STIs and um other uh mosquito-borne illnesses. Uh so, it it's it's all over across the board, and we're doing a lot of monitoring.

[00:01:41]>> As of Wednesday, there were 600 suspected cases of Ebola, about 139 suspected deaths in the Congo. There are no confirmed Ebola cases in the United States, and health officials say the overall risk of an outbreak here is low.

[00:01:56]Dr. Wong says that state health officials and county health officials are in regular communication with the CDC in the weeks and days leading up to the World Cup. In the digital studio, Stephen Dial, Fox 4 News.