London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games: public health surveillance and epidemiology

doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(13)62342-9

Review

. 2014 Jun 14;383(9934):2083-2089.

doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(13)62342-9. Epub 2014 May 20.

London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games: public health surveillance and epidemiology

Brian McCloskey¹, Tina Endericks², Mike Catchpole³, Maria Zambon⁴, Jim McLauchlin⁵, Nandini Shetty⁶, Rohini Manuel⁶, Deborah Turbitt⁶, Gillian Smith⁷, Paul Crook⁸, Ettore Severi⁹, Jane Jones¹⁰, Sue Ibbotson¹¹, Roberta Marshall¹², Catherine A H Smallwood¹³, Nicolas Isla¹⁴, Ziad A Memish¹⁵, Abdullah A Al-Rabeeah¹⁶, Maurizio Barbeschi¹⁷, David L Heymann¹⁸, Alimuddin Zumla¹⁹

Affiliations

¹ Global Center for Mass Gathering Medicine, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Global Health and WHO Collaborating Centre on Mass Gatherings, London, UK. Electronic address: Brian.McCloskey@phe.gov.uk.
² Global Health and WHO Collaborating Centre on Mass Gatherings, London, UK.
³ Centre for Infectious Disease Surveillance and Control, London, UK.
⁴ Reference Microbiology, London, UK.
⁵ Food, Water, and Environmental Microbiology Services, London, UK.
⁶ Public Health England, London, UK.
⁷ Real-time Syndromic Surveillance Team, London, UK.
⁸ Field Epidemiology Services, London, UK.
⁹ European Programme for Intervention Epidemiology Training, London, UK.
¹⁰ Travel and Migrant Health Section, London, UK.
¹¹ PHE Centre West Midlands, London, UK.
¹² North East PHE Centre, London, UK.
¹³ Global Capacities, Alert and Response, WHO, Geneva, Switzerland.
¹⁴ Global Preparedness, Surveillance and and Response, WHO, Geneva, Switzerland.
¹⁵ Global Center for Mass Gathering Medicine, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Ministry of Health, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Al-Faisal University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
¹⁶ Global Center for Mass Gathering Medicine, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Ministry of Health, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
¹⁷ Global Center for Mass Gathering Medicine, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Global Capacities, Alert and Response, WHO, Geneva, Switzerland.
¹⁸ Global Center for Mass Gathering Medicine, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Public Health England, London, UK; Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House, London, UK; London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
¹⁹ Global Center for Mass Gathering Medicine, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Division of Infection and Immunity, University College London, London, UK; University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.

PMID: 24857700
PMCID: PMC7138022
DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(13)62342-9

Review

London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games: public health surveillance and epidemiology

Brian McCloskey et al. Lancet. 2014.

. 2014 Jun 14;383(9934):2083-2089.

doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(13)62342-9. Epub 2014 May 20.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Global Center for Mass Gathering Medicine, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Global Health and WHO Collaborating Centre on Mass Gatherings, London, UK. Electronic address: Brian.McCloskey@phe.gov.uk.
² Global Health and WHO Collaborating Centre on Mass Gatherings, London, UK.
³ Centre for Infectious Disease Surveillance and Control, London, UK.
⁴ Reference Microbiology, London, UK.
⁵ Food, Water, and Environmental Microbiology Services, London, UK.
⁶ Public Health England, London, UK.
⁷ Real-time Syndromic Surveillance Team, London, UK.
⁸ Field Epidemiology Services, London, UK.
⁹ European Programme for Intervention Epidemiology Training, London, UK.
¹⁰ Travel and Migrant Health Section, London, UK.
¹¹ PHE Centre West Midlands, London, UK.
¹² North East PHE Centre, London, UK.
¹³ Global Capacities, Alert and Response, WHO, Geneva, Switzerland.
¹⁴ Global Preparedness, Surveillance and and Response, WHO, Geneva, Switzerland.
¹⁵ Global Center for Mass Gathering Medicine, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Ministry of Health, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Al-Faisal University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
¹⁶ Global Center for Mass Gathering Medicine, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Ministry of Health, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
¹⁷ Global Center for Mass Gathering Medicine, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Global Capacities, Alert and Response, WHO, Geneva, Switzerland.
¹⁸ Global Center for Mass Gathering Medicine, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Public Health England, London, UK; Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House, London, UK; London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
¹⁹ Global Center for Mass Gathering Medicine, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Division of Infection and Immunity, University College London, London, UK; University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.

PMID: 24857700
PMCID: PMC7138022
DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(13)62342-9

Abstract

Mass gatherings are regarded as potential risks for transmission of infectious diseases, and might compromise the health system of countries in which they are hosted. The evidence for increased transmission of infectious diseases at international sporting mass gatherings that attract many visitors from all over the world is not clear, and the evidence base for public health surveillance, epidemiology, and response at events such as the Olympics is small. However, infectious diseases are a recognised risk, and public health planning is, and should remain, a crucial part of the overall planning of sporting events. In this Series paper, we set out the planning and the surveillance systems that were used to monitor public health risks during the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games in the summer of 2012, and draw attention to the public health issues-infectious diseases and chemical, radiation, and environmental hazards-that arose. Although the absolute risk of health-protection problems, including infectious diseases, at sporting mass gatherings is small, the need for reassurance of the absence of problems is higher than has previously been considered; this could challenge conventional public health surveillance systems. Recognition of the limitations of health-surveillance systems needs to be part of the planning for future sporting events.

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Figures

**Figure 1**
Number of events reported in the daily Health Protection Agency situation report, by source OCC=Olympics Coordinating Centre. CRCE=Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards.

**Figure 2**
Types of event reported in the daily Health Protection Agency situation report

**Figure 3**
Reported respiratory symptoms by category of person, London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games

See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

Mass gatherings medicine: international cooperation and progress.
Memish ZA, Zumla A, McCloskey B, Heymann D, Al Rabeeah AA, Barbeschi M, Horton R. Memish ZA, et al. Lancet. 2014 Jun 14;383(9934):2030-2032. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(14)60225-7. Epub 2014 May 20. Lancet. 2014. PMID: 24857704 Free PMC article. No abstract available.

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References

1. World Health Organization Communicable disease alert and response for mass gatherings. 2008. http://www.who.int/csr/Mass_gatherings2.pdf (accessed March 19, 2012).
1. Abubakar I, Gautret P, Brunette GW. Global perspectives for prevention of infectious diseases associated with mass gatherings. Lancet Infect Dis. 2012;12:66–74. - PubMed
1. Jorm LR, Thackway SV, Churches TR, Hills MW. Watching the Games: public health surveillance for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2003;57:102–108. - PMC - PubMed
1. Tsouros A, Efstathiou P, editors. Mass gatherings and public health: the experience of Athens 2004 Olympic Games. WHO/EURO; 2007. http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/98415/E90712.pdf (accessed July 27, 2013).
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[1] World Health Organization Communicable disease alert and response for mass gatherings. 2008. http://www.who.int/csr/Mass_gatherings2.pdf (accessed March 19, 2012).

[2] World Health Organization Communicable disease alert and response for mass gatherings. 2008. http://www.who.int/csr/Mass_gatherings2.pdf (accessed March 19, 2012).

[3] Abubakar I, Gautret P, Brunette GW. Global perspectives for prevention of infectious diseases associated with mass gatherings. Lancet Infect Dis. 2012;12:66–74. - PubMed

[4] Abubakar I, Gautret P, Brunette GW. Global perspectives for prevention of infectious diseases associated with mass gatherings. Lancet Infect Dis. 2012;12:66–74. - PubMed

[5] Jorm LR, Thackway SV, Churches TR, Hills MW. Watching the Games: public health surveillance for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2003;57:102–108. - PMC - PubMed

[6] Jorm LR, Thackway SV, Churches TR, Hills MW. Watching the Games: public health surveillance for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2003;57:102–108. - PMC - PubMed

[7] Tsouros A, Efstathiou P, editors. Mass gatherings and public health: the experience of Athens 2004 Olympic Games. WHO/EURO; 2007. http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/98415/E90712.pdf (accessed July 27, 2013).

[8] Tsouros A, Efstathiou P, editors. Mass gatherings and public health: the experience of Athens 2004 Olympic Games. WHO/EURO; 2007. http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/98415/E90712.pdf (accessed July 27, 2013).

[9] World Health Organization The health legacy of the 2008 Beijing Olympics Games: successes and recommendations. WHO/Western Pacific Region, 2008. http://www.olympic.org/Documents/Commissions_PDFfiles/Medical_commission... (accessed July 27, 2013).

[10] World Health Organization The health legacy of the 2008 Beijing Olympics Games: successes and recommendations. WHO/Western Pacific Region, 2008. http://www.olympic.org/Documents/Commissions_PDFfiles/Medical_commission... (accessed July 27, 2013).

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London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games: public health surveillance and epidemiology

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London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games: public health surveillance and epidemiology

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