Heat, bugs, germs: U.S. public health prepares for the World Cup

For months ahead of the World Cup, states and cities have been preparing to protect travelers and local communities from potential threats including foodborne illness and infectious diseases. AILSA CHANG, HOST: From mid-June to mid-July, millions of soccer fans from all around the world will gather here in the U.S. and Canada and Mexico for 104 matches across 16 cities because, yes, it is World Cup time. Millions of fans packing into more than a dozen stadiums, of course, means soccer for some, but public health officials have another perspective. They will be on high alert for disease spread. NPR's Pien Huang is here to tell us about the public health preparations here in the U.S. They come after a pretty bruising year for federal health agencies. Hi, Pien. PIEN HUANG, BYLINE: Hey, Ailsa. CHANG: OK, so public health officials, of course, are in the business of keeping people safe and healthy. So how is the CDC getting ready for this huge influx of human beings? PIEN HUANG: Well, on a federal level, agencies that would usually be taking lead are a lot less visible. So for context, the CDC, the nation's public health agency, has taken some major hits in the Trump administration... CHANG: Yeah. PIEN HUANG: ...Which has pushed out thousands of workers, and you really just rarely hear from their scientists anymore. So this is the backdrop going into the World Cup. And Dr. Deb Houry was a top CDC official until she resigned last year. …