Prevention of Infectious Disease in 2020 Tokyo Olympics: A Report

This report investigates the potential for infectious disease outbreaks during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, focusing on the environmental conditions of Tokyo and the influx of international visitors. It highlights the risks of vector-borne diseases like dengue fever, as well as airborne diseases such as measles, and rubella. The report outlines the infrastructure and public health strategies needed to mitigate these risks, including enhanced disease detection, multi-lingual communication, and contingency plans for travelers. It emphasizes the importance of vaccination, awareness campaigns, and continuous monitoring to protect athletes, spectators, and the local population. The document also identifies critical points for intervention and provides recommendations for strengthening disease control measures, ultimately aiming to ensure a safe and healthy environment for the Olympic Games.

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Prevention of infectious disease in 2020 Tokyo Olympics
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INFECTIOUS DISEASE AND PREVENTION IN 2020 OLYMPICS
Description of the Tokyo environment
In 2020 Japan is going to host the Tokyo Olympic as well as the Paralympic games which
will be resulting in a huge increase in the population due to the visitors from different countries
in the city of Tokyo which is the most populated city of Japan. The environment of a place plays
a foremost role in the diffusion of infectious diseases. Tokyo is located at 35.6762° N, 139.6503°
E, in the humid sub-tropical climate zone which facilitates the growth of various infectious
diseases. Vector borne diseases will be a major concern for the health department to counter
during the Olympics owing to the outbreak of dengue during 2014 in Tokyo (Yanagisawa et al.,
2018). This outbreak suggests that Tokyo is having an appropriate eco climatic factor for the
dengue fever attack in the city. The summers are generally wetter which leads to the formation of
stagnant water bodies for the breeding if mosquitoes. The population of the place is
immunologically affected by the virus and there is a high prospect of the overview of the viruses
by the visitors and the presence of Aedes mosquito aids to the cause (Nakamura et al.,2018).
Taiwan is located in the Pacific ocean and aids in dengue spread due to the temperature and
humidity (Nakamura et al.,2018). There a lot of factors that will lead to the introduction of the
disease in Tokyo which includes the count and the foundation of the tourists, occurrence of
dengue in the origin countries of the tourists, periodic synchrony. The 2020 Olympic will be
taking place in the hottest season of Japan when the temperature is expected to exceed 30 degree
Celsius. This will be increasing the potential risk for heat related illness. The spectators as well
as the athletes will be arriving Japan in a very hot and humid weather which is a major concern
for the authorities keeping in mind the comfort and health conditions of the visitors in the
country. Unlike other gatherings the Tokyo Olympic will see a great diversity as compared to
other sports related or other kind of gatherings since players will be coming from all over 206
nations which will also be bringing a huge gathering of international audience (Kosaka et

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al.,2018). With such huge number of people gathering at a single place will lead to health
concerns such as the food outlets and the hospitality will open up the possibilities of large food
borne diseases among the staffs, players, visitors. Transmissible diseases like influenza and
measles can move around freely where a large group of people will be sharing a same
accommodation. With the expectation of 1100 athletes to be flying over for this mega event
along with the spectators the chance of a major dengue outbreak is concerning (Kakamu et al.,
2017). Since the Olympic will take outside the northern hemisphere of influenza season it won’t
be a major concern (Gold & Gold, 2016).
Outline of the infrastructure
The national system of prevention of diseases and detecting of dengue is very strong in
Japan but during a major gathering which brings in huge mass of people from all around the
world increases the chance of air borne diseases there are three places where the health
authorities will be improving in (Osada et al.,2016). Firstly a cyclical training on the tropical
based diseases management will be allotted to the general physicians especially for the
physicians who are working in the hospitals and clinics which are not designated for infectious
diseases (Osada et al.,2016). Secondly there will be an enhancement in the multi-language
communications in the health and the hospitality department (Osada et al.,2016). Thirdly the
owners of the accommodations for the travelers must be flexible in acquiring a formal
introduction the diseases and the initial measures of controlling them and must be having a
contingency plan for the travelers who will seem to be disease affected (Harada et al.,2016. A
pragmatic approach will be taken in order to prepare a plan for the health professionals as well as
the others to help them have an idea of the symptoms and how to act properly (Harada et
al.,2016). Reconstructing the introduction of dengue in Acre, a proposal for an diagnostic
framework which will be based on the concepts which will be used in malaria, namely the

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susceptibility and the approachability, in informing risk which will make calculations in dengue-
free districts as well as the network theory of the ideas for disease incursion and the broadcast
(Harada et al.,2016). A calculation of the chance of dengue introduction of Acre from other
Japanese states, the evolution of the dengue spread in the municipalities and formation of dengue
in the state (Williams,2020). It is found that landscape changes which are related with human
movement which will create favorable conditions for the establishing dengue virus transmission
(Williams,2020). The revival of the major roads and the increased the accessibile by air as well
as within the state increasing dengue weakness (Williams,2020). The athletes and the travelers
have to be vaccinated with the up to date vaccinations before they are allowed to travel to the
Tokyo Olympic (Williams,2020). Researchers have found that communication is a big problem
for the Tokyo government which will be solved by the help of the introduction of seminars
which will help in imparting general physicians and the clinics to have a clear idea about the
dengue fever (Kobayashi,2015). Another solution would also have to be followed which is to
form a contingency plan for the travelers who might be suspected of carrying the virus
(Kobayashi,2015).
Major infectious diseases
The major diseases that can occur during the Olympics are measles and dengue. Measles
is an infectious disease which is caused by the Measles virus. The measles virus belongs from
the family of genus Morbillivirus (Frascolla et al., 2017). The symptoms of measles are
prodromal fever, severe cough, conjunctivitis and coryza in a temperately unwell child (Frascolla
et al., 2017). Koplik spots are found on the buccal mucosa in 2 days before the onset of rash. The
most important clinical predictors which are included in the clinical definition for measles, which
is characterized as an illness by: generalized maculopapular rash, usually lasts for 3 or more
days, and fever of at least 38 °C is present at the beginning of rash onset and the presence of

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cough or coryza or conjunctivitis or Koplik spots (Shimatani et al., 2015). Measles occurs
worldwide and is one of the leading causes for the deaths among the children who are less than 5
years (Shimatani et al., 2015). The individuals who are at risk of being affected by the measles
are mainly too young to be vaccinated or have not received vaccination in the future for measles.
Travelling to the areas where measles is endemic or getting in contact with the persons who are
increases the risk of getting affected by measles. There is no specific treatment of measles and it
will be advised by the doctor to take complete rest and drink enough fluids to prevent
dehydration. The temperature of the patient must be kept low, smoking near the affected child
must not be done, and light of the room must be dimmed down since measles increases the
sensitivity of the patient, crustiness around the eyes must be cleaned with damp cloth. A child in
the contagious state must be kept away from the school and must avoid contact with others.
People who have already suffered from measles will be immune to measles in the future but the
ones who are not affected by it must consider in taking the vaccine for measles. There will be
huge gathering of people in the 2020 Olympics so if even a single traveler carrying the disease
gets in contact with others it will result in a mass outbreak of the disease in the event. Every
traveler coming to the event will be checked of their temperatures and will be seen if they are
properly vaccinated or not.
The dengue virus (DEN) mainly comprises of four distinct type of stereotypes (DEN-1,
DEN-2, DEN-3 and DEN-4) and it belongs to the genus Flavivirus from the family Flaviviridae
(Stefani,2016). The distinct genotypes are identified within different stereotype which highlights
the extensive genetic variability of the dengue stereotype. Among these the DEN-2 and DEN-3
are often associated with severe diseases which leads to dengue fever and infections
(Stefani,2016). The Aedes mosquito is the main vector which transmits the virus that causes

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dengue. The germ from the Aedes mosquito is mainly transmitted in the humans when the
mosquito bites infected humans for sucking blood (Hirabayashi et al., 2018).. Dengue is a
widespread disease throughout the tropical regions. Dengue fever can be prevented by wearing
long sleeves shirt and trousers, clothes must be treated with repellents like DEET, usage of
mosquito net must be considered where there is huge number of mosquitoes, areas with stagnant
water must be avoided since they are the breeding grounds of the mosquitoes (Hirabayashi et al.,
2018).. High fever and vomiting can dehydrate a body during the disease due to which the
patient must be heavily hydrated, for patients with severe dehydration blood transfusion is
required. By hospitalization a patient can be treated with proper care.
Vaccine preventable diseases like rubella also has a chance to emerge during the 2020
Olympic. Rubella is also known as German measles but it is not the same as measles. It is a
contagious virus and is best known for its distinctive red rashes (Prasad et al.,2013). Japanese
male who are aged between 20 years to 34 years will be at risk for the measles disease and this
might be problem during the huge gathering of the 2020 Olympic since it is virus which is
passed from an infected person to a healthy one (Lambert et al.,2015). Some of the symptoms of
the rubella includes mild fever accompanied with headache or runny nose as well as inflamed red
eyes. Ache in joints is also seen in young women. The vaccine of rubella is generally included in
the combined vaccine of measles-mumps-rubella. There is no antiviral treatment for Rubella and
the treatment of it mainly depends on consuming huge amount of fluids and pain relief if it
required (Tanaka-Taya et al.,2013).
Identification of critical points
Japan is going to host the Olympic in the summer months of 2020 when the temperatures
will exceed 30 degrees facilitating the increased chances of the introduction of dengue fever

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INFECTIOUS DISEASE AND PREVENTION IN 2020 OLYMPICS
(Pratt & Chan, 2016). A lot of problems will be faced by the Tokyo governments during mass
gatherings such as an introduction of new infectious disease like dengue fever, extensive stretch
of the health institutions will be affecting the surveillance system, the political interest as well as
the interest of the media will help in magnifying anything negative. A multispectral review is
important in vindicating the risks. In terms of dengue it is recommended that continuous efforts
are needed to maintain the awareness towards dengue fever as well as strengthening the capacity
of controlling infectious disease. Despite of the fact that dengue will be an unhealthy occurring
during an event like the 2020 Tokyo Olympics yet there will be numerous people turning up
during the event (Matzarakis et al., 2018). The host city will greeting thousands of athletes
including staffs, volunteers, officials, spectators. This influx of huge number of people in a single
metropolitan city poses the threat of the introduction of dengue fever during the ceremony. With
the establishment of Aedes in Japan, the country is preparing heavily for counteracting any kinds
of threat posed by dengue during the games (Shimizu,2014). Japan is finding itself in a similar
situation like Brazil during the 2016 since the Zika spread like rapid fire across the south and
Central America (Tzanelli,2017). Owing to the first unexpected outbreak of dengue in Japan in
2014, there is a huge possibility that it will show up during the Olympic since the weather of
Japan will allow Aedes to transmit the dengue during the summer months (Kassens-Noor &
Fukushige,2018). The locals and the officials of the state are full aware of the procedures which
helps in breeding of mosquitoes like stagnant waters where the mosquitoes lay eggs. Containers
such as jars, tires or cans might will be removed. If the patients carrying infectious diseases are
spread to others via coughs and sneezes it will readily spread among the travelers which will lead
to the widespread of the diseases.

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Role of transport access
The introduction of dengue fever in tropical regions like Tokyo can be related the rapid
urbanization which is an important factor towards the worldwide spreading of dengue in the
recent decades. The fact that public transport can aid in the spread of dengue is often overlooked
due to the difficulty in collecting the data in the relevant locality where the epidemic is spotted.
Since transportation system is a great deal in a metropolitan city like Tokyo so during the event
of Olympic the increasing pressure in the transport system will be handled with an increase in the
number of public transports (Kamitani et al., 2017). Mobility of human beings, presence of
Aedes mosquito as well as different environmental characteristics contributes in a successful
widespread of dengue fever. The transportation network as well as human mobility goes to a
great extent in the widespread of an epidemic since the germs are carried around from on area to
another area. It will be very important to keep the waiting areas like the bus stands and train
stops clean of stagnant water or any other containers which might help in breeding of mosquitoes
so that the travelers do not get affected by the disease.

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