Stopping the spread of disease at the Olympics and Hajj

Hopes are high that the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics will have a lasting sports and exercise legacy, but the work done to ensure the health of the millions of attendees could also have an important impact. Harriet Vickers talks to Brian McCloskey, the Health Protection Agency’s national Olympics and Paralympics lead, about how infectious diseases will be monitored and controlled during the games, and ensuring the knowledge and structures developed are captured. And Ziad Memish, deputy public health minister for Saudi Arabia’s Department of Health, discusses the innovations and interventions his country has pioneered for public health at the Hajj, paving the way for other mass gatherings.