What started in the last few weeks as a mild bout of fever in Mayo showed signs last night of developing into a full-blown epidemic.
So bad is the outbreak of what has come to be known as the "Maguire Virus" that all primary schools in the county will be closed on Monday.
Evidence of the "bug" was evident everywhere in Mayo yesterday, flushed faces, hoarseness from discussing the county's All-Ireland chances and an astonishing propensity among men and women of all ages for the red and green colours.
As they fly out from Knock Airport for Croke Park today Mayo team manager John Maughan and the other mentors, however, will be grateful that all the hype about the football final was kept contained until the last minute, unlike 1996 and 1997.
Win or lose, a press conference is planned for the airport when the team returns on Monday afternoon. Team officials insisted there is nothing cocky or presumptuous about organising a press briefing.
"There will be extraordinary media interest in the team whether or not it wins the All-Ireland," one insider said. Apart from the game itself, the scarcity of tickets has been one of the major topics in Mayo this week.
Until yesterday there was a bare drip-feed of tickets into the county, leading many of the county's most ardent followers to decide that they would watch the game on television rather than travel to Dublin in the hope of getting a last minute ticket. Tales of ticket touts abound with one Castlebar-based supporter saying yesterday that he got a phone call from Co Wicklow during the week offering him two €60 stand tickets for a whopping €250 each.
Despite the scarcity of tickets and the possibility that fewer numbers than anticipated will travel, Iarnród Éireann has put on three special trains to carry Mayo supporters to Dublin for the match.
A fleet of 10 taxis, painted red and green, will meet Mayo fans from the 11.55 a.m. train on Sunday and bring them to Croke Park from Heuston Station free of charge as a goodwill gesture.
The tourism organisation, Mayo Naturally, has paid the 10 drivers to carry the Mayo logo as a means of promoting Mayo in the capital as a tourism destination.