PUBLIC-HEALTH RESPONSE FOR THE 1996 OLYMPIC-GAMES

Extensive planning and preparation by public health agencies were requ ired for the provision of public health services during the 1996 Cente nnial Olympic Games, which brought together more than 10 000 athletes from 197 countries and more than 2 million visitors. Public health act ivities included the develop ment and use of an augmented surveillance system to monitor health conditions and detect disease outbreaks; cre ation and implementation of 6 environmental health regulations; establ ishment of a central Public Health Command Center and response teams t o coordinate response to public health emergencies; planning for poten tial mass casualties and the provision of emergency medical services; implementation of strategies for the prevention of heat-related illnes s; and distribution of health promotion and disease prevention informa tion. Public health agencies should take the lead in organizing and im plementing a system for preventing and managing public health issues a t future large-scale public events such as the Olympics.