30 June 2006 Measles alert for World Cup travellers
World Cup backpackers who are travelling to Cologne, Dortmund and Gelsenkirchen may need to review their travel plans after warnings of a measles outbreak in the region.
The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] has said that the north Rhine-Westphalia region in north-west Germany, which has reported around 1,200 measles cases in 2006, is a danger for travellers.
"CDC is particularly concerned about the risk posed by the World Cup because the event is expected to draw more than one million tourists, people will be in close proximity and the measles virus is extremely contagious," he said.
The World Cup - which is the world's second largest sporting event behind the Olympic Games - is being held at 12 arenas across Germany.
Even before the influx of travellers, the three affected World Cup cities have a combined population of over 1,750,000. 
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