As Once in a Lifetime Rugby Event Approaches, Are Fans Aware of Deadly Disease?

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• The upcoming 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan is a once in a lifetime event with over 1.8 million fans expected to attend

• Most fans will not be aware of deadly conditions such as Japanese Encephalitis, Tick Borne Encephalitis and Rabies Enchephalitis which occur across south-east Asia and the Pacific Islands.

• Rugby legend, John Bentley is supporting a campaign encouraging fans to be fully prepared in plenty of time before the games

With a once in a lifetime event like this, months of preparation will have taken place both by fans and by players to ensure that nothing can go wrong. However, most fans will not have considered travel health and vaccination against deadly conditions contractable in the country.

With a month to go until the Japanese Rugby World Cup 2019, both fans and players will be in full preparation mode, with the event expected to attract the largest ever number of foreign fans. More than 600,000 of the 1.8 million available tickets expected to be held by international fans making the journey to Japan.

Encephalitis is inflammation of the brain, an often devastating condition that can lead to death and ‘acquired brain injury’. It can affect anyone of any age, ethnicity or sex yet eight in ten (78%) people do not know what encephalitis is, let alone that some forms of encephalitis are vaccine preventable, like Japanese encephalitis, rabies encephalitis and tick-borne encephalitis.

Mass gatherings such as the Rugby World Cup can put a huge strain on host countries and the World Health Organisation and Centre for Disease Control and Prevention have advised all those planning to travel to seek specialist travel health advice first. Rugby legend John Bentley, one of the greatest dual-code rugby players of his generation is supporting this campaign that encourages fans to ensure they are prepared for all eventualities, including seeking specialist  travel health advice, in advance of the games.

The video not only discusses the Rugby World Cup and how the players will be preparing but also how fans can protect themselves whilst travelling.