Objective: to describe the real-time active surveillance strategy and the profile of health care provided during the 20th FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014 (FWCB), in the host city of Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil.
Methods: this was a descriptive study with data collected from medical records during the FWCB, between June 8 and July 13, 2014, in pre-selected health care units.
Results: there were 2,570 medical assistances related to the FWCB; 56% of the patients were male, 35% were between 20 and 29 years old; 68% were clinical care, and 64% of the individuals were fans/spectators; 94% of the patients were discharged, 3% were referred, 3% were hospitalized and 0.2% died; the advanced medical units were responsible for 79% of the assistances, mainly on game days.
Conclusion: no public health event of great importance was identified; the active surveillance strategy enabled the monitoring of health situation of those individuals involved in the event.