Management of environmental health issues for the 2004 Athens Olympic Games: is enhanced integrated environmental health surveillance needed in every day routine operation?

Christos Hadjichristodoulou,Varvara Mouchtouri,Isidiros Kalivitis,Christina Kapoula,Vasilis D Daniilidis,Julia Chervoni,Anastasia Vousoureli,Vasiliki Vaitsi,Panagiotis Papastergiou,Antonios Vasilogiannakopoulos,Jenny Kremastinou

doi:10.1186/1471-2458-6-306

Abstract

BackgroundManagement of environmental health issues is an integral part of public health systems. An active integrated environmental health surveillance and response system was developed for the Athens Olympics to monitor and prevent exposure to environmental hazards. The potential for permanent implementation of the program was examined.MethodsThe environmental health surveillance and response system included standardization, computerization and electronic transmission of data concerning environmental inspections of 17 site categories (restaurants, swimming pools etc) of public health interest, drinking and recreational water examinations and suggested corrective actions. The Olympic Planning Unit integrated and centrally managed data from 13 public health agencies, recommended, supervised and coordinated prompt corrective actions. Methods used to test the effectiveness of the program were the assessment of water quality test and inspection results trends over time using linear regression and epidemiological surveillance findings.ResultsBetween January 2003 and September the 30th, 2004, 196 inspectors conducted 8562 inspections, collected 5024 water samples and recommended 17 027 corrective actions. In 10 cruise ships used as floating hotels inspectors conducted 10 full inspections, 2 re-inspections, and 27 follow-up inspections. Unsatisfactory inspection results (r = 0.44, p < 0.0001) and positive water quality tests (r = 0.39, p < 0.001) presented an overall decrease trend over time. In August, 2003, an outbreak of salmonellosis was linked to a hotel restaurant which accommodated athletes during a test event.ConclusionLessons learned for future events include timely implementation and installation of communication processes, and rapid and coordinated response to unsatisfactory inspection results. Routine national programs need to adopt enhanced environmental health surveillance aimed at public health decision-making, but with a different perspective.

Highlights

Management of environmental health issues is an integral part of public health systems
Environmental health issues as part of public health surveillance were effectively managed in previous Olympic Games, [4,5,6,7,8,9] and other mass gathering [10] while enhancements initiated for the Games were utilized to yield long term benefits for the local public health systems[11]
In this paper we report how the environmental health surveillance program for the Athens Olympic Games was implemented, we present its results, and discuss the lessons learned

Summary

Introduction

Management of environmental health issues is an integral part of public health systems. A public health sector, enforcing and ensuring prevention, control, and management of environmental health issues, is essential during a mass gathering event such as the Olympic and Paraolympic Games. A large number of people were potentially exposed to possible environmental health hazards given the massive food service operations[2,3], common and excessively used potable and recreational water supplies, crowded accommodation, and shared sanitary facilities in hotels, Olympic Venues, and cruise ships. All of these provided conditions favourable to the spread of infectious diseases. Environmental health issues as part of public health surveillance were effectively managed in previous Olympic Games, [4,5,6,7,8,9] and other mass gathering [10] while enhancements initiated for the Games were utilized to yield long term benefits for the local public health systems[11]

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion