Researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an advisory recommending people travelling to Brazil to check with their primary care physician or a travel medicine specialist.
The CDC said that the appointments should ideally be done four to six weeks before travelling to Brazil for the FIFA World Cup 2014.
Even though the recommendations no longer apply to those going to the World Cup as it will begin in a week, June 12, researchers said that the recommendations can be relevant to those planning to attend the 2016 Olympic Games, which are also set in Brazil.
"We're expecting that a lot of Americans will attend and we want to give them a chance to review some of the health and safety issues that come with attending World Cup-like events in a country like Brazil," said lead author of the report, Joanna Gaines, a senior epidemiologist at the CDC, reports Reuters.
The CDC recommends travelers receive vaccines for illnesses such as the flu, mumps, yellow fever and typhoid several weeks before going to Brazil.
The CDC has already released a travel advisory for U.S. citizens attending the event.
Spanish researchers warned about a possible dengue outbreak during the FIFA World Cup 2014. They stated that the risk is sufficient enough to issue a high-alert warning in three venues where matches are scheduled - Natal, Fortaleza and Recife.
The report, 'Health and Safety Issues for Travelers Attending the World Cup and Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games in Brazil, 2014 to 2016,' was published in 'JAMA Internal Medicine.'
