World Cup prep brings health-care focus to Toronto

As Toronto hosts FIFA World Cup matches for five weeks starting today, the city's health-care system is running one of its most comprehensive public health operations in recent memory.

Toronto Public Health has spent months preparing for what Dr. Michelle Murti, the city's medical officer of health, calls a fundamentally different challenge than previous major sports events: the length of the tournament and the sheer number of countries whose fans are arriving.

"We really are inviting the world," Murti said. "There was a lot of replanning depending on which countries we would be hosting."

Public health officials are conducting global surveillance to track infectious diseases common in travellers' countries of origin—measles, meningitis and others. The federal government has imposed temporary travel restrictions on visitors from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and South Sudan due to an Ebola outbreak, though Murti noted the risk of Ebola to Toronto is low. Norovirus, which spreads through person-to-person contact or contaminated food and causes nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, is a far more likely threat.

There's already an "uptick" of norovirus across North America, including Toronto, so public health is increasing wastewater testing near Toronto Stadium, training sites and the FIFA Fan Festival area. That surveillance will alert staff to step up handwashing messaging and ensure adequate sanitation stations throughout World Cup venues.

Public health is also using wastewater to monitor for early signals of measles and mpox. Measles, one of the world's most infectious viruses, can take days to show symptoms after exposure, so early detection allows for rapid public warnings and vaccine-clinic mobilization if needed. Murti urged both Canadian and international fans to ensure they're fully vaccinated against measles before attending matches.