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The Olympic and Paralympic Games (JOP) will attract up to 15 million visitors to France, in addition to thousands of athletes. Many busy areas are planned: the Olympic sites, but also the location of the opening ceremony and the fan zones in the majority of departments. These gatherings are conducive to the transmission of infectious diseases. On the other hand, many visitors from abroad will take the opportunity to combine the Olympic Games and tourism. These movements could also favor the transmission and dispersion of diseases in endemic areas. In Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, two departments will be particularly affected by these JOPs: the Loire and the Rhône with the events from July 24 to August 9.
From a health perspective, the most likely infectious risks will be invasive meningococcal infections (IIM), measles, whooping cough and mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue Zika and chikungunya. The risk of an increase in the number of new cases of these diseases is all the more worrying given that for several months, they have been on the rise in Europe and France. These illnesses can be serious with risks of after-effects or even death.
The best way to protect yourself against these diseases is vaccination (vaccines against measles, whooping cough, IMD, etc.). Remember to check your vaccination status with your doctor, pharmacist, midwife or nurse.
