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. 2012 Jan;12(1):56-65.
doi: 10.1016/S1473-3099(11)70337-1.

Emergence of medicine for mass gatherings: lessons from the Hajj

Ziad A Memish  1 , Gwen M Stephens, Robert Steffen, Qanta A Ahmed
Affiliations

Emergence of medicine for mass gatherings: lessons from the Hajj

Ziad A Memish et al. Lancet Infect Dis. 2012 Jan.

Abstract

Although definitions of mass gatherings (MG) vary greatly, they consist of large numbers of people attending an event at a specific site for a finite time. Examples of MGs include World Youth Day, the summer and winter Olympics, rock concerts, and political rallies. Some of the largest MGs are spiritual in nature. Among all MGs, the public health issues, associated with the Hajj (an annual pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia) is clearly the best reported-probably because of its international or even intercontinental implications in terms of the spread of infectious disease. Hajj routinely attracts 2·5 million Muslims for worship. WHO's global health initiatives have converged with Saudi Arabia's efforts to ensure the wellbeing of pilgrims, contain infectious diseases, and reinforce global health security through the management of the Hajj. Both initiatives emphasise the importance of MG health policies guided by sound evidence and based on experience and the timeliness of calls for a new academic science-based specialty of MG medicine.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The Hajj in the 19th (A) and 21st centuries (B) Pilgrims encircling the Ka'aba, the main mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, during the Hajj. Part A is courtesy of Saudi Ministry of Health.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The 2003 Rome protest against the Iraq war was peaceful, but violence can mar mass gatherings
Figure 3
Figure 3
Crowds gathered in subzero temperatures to watch Barack Obama's inauguration in 2009
Figure 4
Figure 4
Vancouver was struck by an outbreak of measles during the 2010 Winter Olympics
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

  • Mass gatherings health Series.
    McConnell J. McConnell J. Lancet Infect Dis. 2012 Jan;12(1):8-9. doi: 10.1016/S1473-3099(11)70358-9. Lancet Infect Dis. 2012. PMID: 22192124 No abstract available.

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