"We started preparing for this World Championships a year ago" - Belgian team doctor on the threats of Kigali

The World Championships in Kigali, Rwanda are exotic. Both in the nice and less pretty sense. For team doctors it's a whole new level of worries and health hazards they need to be ready to react to. From mosquitoes and wild animals, through water and human contact, the dangers will be on every corner in the east-African country.

"We started preparing for this World Championships a year ago," Belgian team's doctor Kris Van der Mieren begins on the risks related to travelling to Africa in an interview for HLN. First step was getting riders vaccinated against the more common illnesses.

Municipal Health Service (GGD) recommends vaccinations for diseases such as Yellow Fever, DTP, and Hepatitis A. Additionally, vaccinations for Mumps, Measles, and Rubella are also generally obtained.

"Vaccination isn't mandatory, but it is strongly recommended," says the Belgian national doctor. Among the national team, there weren't any complaints about that. "There's been little discussion; there are no anti-vaxxers among them." Potential side effects have also been taken into account. "I can speak for the entire group: everyone started vaccinations well in advance."

Due to the high risk of malaria in Kigali, the vaccinations alone won't be sufficient. Riders will have to additionally take a pill a day to counter that risk. An infection could have lasting consequences. "Everyone has been briefed on that as well," says Van der Mieren.

In a sense, the travel risks of going to Rwanda are quite similar to 2022, when the World Championships took place in Australia. "I compared the list with what I took to Wollongong, Australia in 2022: there's hardly any difference."

Van der Mieren knows that mosquito repellents and mosquito nets will be crucial to prevent the malaria from spreading. And these items are not as common in Rwanda, compared to Australia. "Most tropical diseases are spread by mosquitoes. Prevention is key. It's a 24/7 spraying and applying sunscreen. I also recommend everyone wear light-colored clothing: it's supposed to deter mosquitoes more than dark clothing."

The next problem then. The drinking water in Rwanda isn't safe to drink everywhere. The Belgian delegation certainly won't be taking any risks. "The quality isn't guaranteed. So we're not taking any risks. Washing is fine, but for everything else, we'll use bottled water or boil it first."

That brings a tough challenge for any cooking team as salmonella must be prevented at all costs. "Our cooking team has a very important job. They'll have to put in a lot of extra work. It's quite possible that by the end of the World Championships, they'll have burned more calories than our riders," says Van der Mieren.

And some diseases can spread as simply as through handshakes. Thus rider's shall limit physical contact as much as possible. "Because things can enter someone's body through water that can be passed on through physical contact. The local population is partially resistant to that, but we in Europe, with our extreme focus on hygiene, are not."

Still, there's one truly major danger for Van der Mieren: rabies. The disease has been basically eliminated in Europe with only one case in 2025. However the situation is different in Africa. "That's my biggest fear," says the doctor. "My only real fear, actually. The chance of someone being bitten by a rabid dog is minimal, but if it happens, and it's a serious bite, then all hell breaks loose."

If such event were to happen, the doctor team is ready to take action to prevent symptoms from appearing - rabies is uncurable once symptoms surface. "Then it's immediate repatriation. An untreated infection is always fatal, but if you catch it quickly and treat it intensively with the right medication and wound care, it doesn't have to be fatal. But that's specialist work."

Should that indeed be the case, Van der Mieren is in close contact with other doctors. "I know which hospitals we can go to there. That was my first question when the World Championships were awarded to Rwanda. We also have a WhatsApp group with all the doctors from the participating countries and the UCI's chief physician."