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Abstract
An Olympic Surveillance System was established for monitoring infectious diseases during the Sydney 2000 Games, with a particular focus on food-borne diseases and diseases spread via the respiratory route.6 A similar system had been used previously during the Atlanta Games with primary outcome measures being: number of injuries, cases of heat related illness amongst participant categories, and medical use rates amongst participants with official Games credentials.7 The conditions most likely expected by local medical services were common medical problems, such as injury, gastrointestinal disease and upper respiratory tract infections.8 Several publications appeared in the Australian Medical literature in the lead up to the Sydney Olympic and Paralympic Games examining the issues around medical planning for the Games.9-11 Most of the attention was focussed on the medical support for the Sydney Games site and the 'polyclinic', which was to be staffed by paid personnel and volunteers.9,10 Four thousand five hundred health personnel were required for the Sydney Games.8 International concern over terrorism at 'large number gatherings' lead the organisers of both Sydney and Atlanta to include planning in disaster management, counter-terrorist preparedness and disease surveillance.6,9,12-14 Support for this preparation had resulted from management of an exploding bomb at the Atlanta 1996 Games, where 111 people were injured.