Summary Mass gatherings (MGs) have been associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality from non-communicable diseases, accidents, and terrorist attacks, thus posing complex public health challenges. We assessed the health risks and public health responses to MGs to identify an evidence-based framework for public health interventions. Human stampedes and heat-related illnesses are the leading causes of mortality. Minor traumatic injuries and medical complaints are the main contributors to morbidity and, particularly, the need for onsite medical care. Infrastructure, crowd density and mood, weather, age, and sex determine the risks to health. Many predictive models for deployment of medical resources are proposed, but none have been validated. We identified the risks for mortality and morbidity during MGs, most efficient public health interventions, and need for robust research into health risks for non-communicable diseases during MGs.

https://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/laninf/PIIS1473-3099(11)70293-6.pdf

Non-communicable health risks during mass gatherings

Summary Public health research is essential for the development of effective policies and planning to address health security and risks associated with mass gatherings (MGs). Crucial research topics related to MGs and their effects on global health security are discussed in this review. The research agenda for MGs consists of a framework of five major public health research directions that address issues related to reducing the risk of public health emergencies during MGs; restricting the occurrence of non-communicable and communicable diseases; minimisation of the effect of public health events associated with MGs; optimisation of the medical services and treatment of diseases during MGs; and development and application of modern public health measures. Implementation of the proposed research topics would be expected to provide benefits over the medium to long term in planning for MGs.

/pdf/research-agenda-for-mass-gatherings-a-call-to-action-3vjbqhgg2v.pdf

Research agenda for mass gatherings: a call to action

Using county-level Vital Statistics of the United States data from 1974 to 2009, we employ a differences-in-differences framework comparing influenza mortality rates in Bowl-participating counties ...

Success Is Something to Sneeze At: Influenza Mortality in Cities that Participate in the Super Bowl

Public health perspectives from the biggest human mass gathering on earth: Kumbh Mela, India

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown of cities worldwide generated a dramatic increase in the use of public health trac(k)ing technologies. This article presents an empiri...

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1329878X20968277

Comparative analysis of China’s Health Code, Australia’s COVIDSafe and New Zealand’s COVID Tracer Surveillance Apps: a new corona of public health governmentality?

ass gatherings represent specific challenges for public health officials because of the health risks associated with crowd size and duration of stay. In addition, population movement requires public health departments to interact across jurisdictional boundaries to identify risks and disease-management solutions. However, federal privacy laws restrict the sharing of patient data among public health departments in multiple jurisdictions. This article examines previous disease surveillance practices by public health officials in planning for mass events and describes a simple approach for sharing health-risk information that was employed in 2007 during Super Bowl XLI by the health departments of Indiana, Marion County, Cook County, and Miami-Dade County.

http://nciph.sph.unc.edu/docs/lombardomassgatherings.pdf

Guoyan Zhang

Papers

Public Health Surveillance for Mass Gatherings