The Rio Olympics aren’t just for sports — they’re a laboratory for scientists and disease experts.
Mass crowds of people from around the world make the Games the perfect place to study how diseases are spread and adapt to different environments. In 2010, WHO warned of swine flu outbreaks at the Vancouver Olympics, but instead there was an outbreak of measles — the first case in more than two years. This year, officials have been debating whether or not people will be affected by the Zika virus in Rio.
Read More: Zika Virus Causes Concern Over the 2016 Olympics
The Olympics will serve as grounds to test whether the assumptions about Zika spreading are true.
“When it comes to infectious diseases, we don’t actually know a lot about how they spread from person to person,” said Jennifer Gardy, an epidemiologist at the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control. “With the nitty gritty, there’s a lot not understood.”
If You Want to Study Disease, the Olympics Are Where to Be https://t.co/jK2Ll9Lr7O
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In other words, scientists know that measles is airborne and HIV is bloodborne, but there are a lot of variables that play a role in the spread of disease.
What makes the Olympics a prime place to study these variables is a large number of people packing into a tight stadium.
“You have a higher number of susceptible people gathering in one area at one time,” says Colleen Acosta, a WHO epidemiologist.
This time around, WHO is prepared for the unexpected, though. In addition to Zika, WHO is watching for other mosquito-borne illnesses such as dengue and yellow, food poisoning, and seasonal flu.
Read More: More Than 1M Lives to Be Spared From Infectious Disease
The WHO has also organized an Observer’s Program, which brings in officials from countries hosting upcoming mass gatherings to learn from what will happen in Rio.
Olympics Provide Unique Opportunity to Study Disease https://t.co/C5Db6fCSkc via @ozy
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“The goal is for them to share with their countries the experiences learned in Rio 2016,” said WHO spokeswoman Letitia Linn.
Turns out, the Olympics are about learning opportunities for science and health, and scientists are hoping to employ their findings to improve global health.
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