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The Lancet. Emergence of medicine for mass gatherings: lessons from the Hajj
[Source: The Lancet, full text: (LINK). Abstract, edited.]
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The Lancet Infectious Diseases, Volume 12, Issue 1, Pages 56 - 65, January 2012
doi:10.1016/S1473-3099(11)70337-1
Emergence of medicine for mass gatherings: lessons from the Hajj
Original Text
Prof Ziad A Memish MD, Gwen M Stephens MD, Prof Robert Steffen MD, Qanta A Ahmed MD
Summary
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.
-doi:10.1016/S1473-3099(11)70337-1
Emergence of medicine for mass gatherings: lessons from the Hajj
Original Text
Prof Ziad A Memish MD, Gwen M Stephens MD, Prof Robert Steffen MD, Qanta A Ahmed MD
Summary
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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