Mass gatherings are events attended by a sufficient number of people to strain the planning and response resources of the host community, state/province, nation, or region where it is being held.[1][2] Definitions of a mass gathering generally include the following:
Planned (long term or spontaneously planned) event
“a specified number of persons (at least >1000 persons).
at a specific location, for a specific purpose (e.g. social function, public event, sporting event) for a defined period of time”.
Mass gatherings are usually sporting events (such as Olympic Games) or religious pilgrimages (such as Kumbh MelaorArba'een Pilgrimage). They are highly visible [3] and in some cases, millions of people attend them.
Mass Gathering Medicine is a new field of medicine that focuses on the health risks of mass gatherings.[11] The World Health Organization through its "Department of Global Alert and Response" supports Member States hosting mass gatherings and regularly receives a large number of requests for technical support by countries organizing large mass gatherings.[12][13]
^"4º Encontro da Rede CIEVS (Centro de Informação em Saúde para Viajantes)" [Brazil- Conference: The 4th Annual Meeting of the CIEVS network], Mass Gathering Guidelines= OEI, 2010-10-28
