This webinar is the second in a series of seminars focused on mass gatherings. The topic of the second seminar is religious events.
Mass gatherings such as large scale religious events or pilgrimages can pose public health challenges and put pressure on the host country’s public health resources. Our mass gatherings programme focuses on how to coordinate and enhance health security at these substantial and important events.
Core facets of this WHO support include work to: apply appropriate standards to risk assessment, surveillance and response, including management of potential outbreaks, infection control and vaccination procedures; support management plans for mass casualties and emergencies in local communities and event venues; ensure that appropriate diagnostic capacities are put in place, including human resources and transportation procedures; establish systems to provide visitors with up-to-date health advice on topics like vaccinations, food and water safety, and emergency contact information; and develop and implement initiatives before and during mass gatherings to promote healthy behaviours such as increased physical activity and tobacco use cessation.
This webinar will provide an overview of WHO’s work and share country experiences for mass gatherings due to religious events.
Speakers:
Dr Nedret Emiroglu, Director, Health Emergency Core Capabilities (ECC), WHO
Dr Ninglan Wang, Unit Head, Border Health and Mass Gatherings, WHO
Country experiences sharing:
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: Hajj/Umrah: Dr Anas Khan – Prof Anas Khan, Director General, GCMGM, MoH, Saudi Arabia
Italy: Jubilee 2025: Dr Martina Del Manso, Italian National Institute of Health, Italy .
India: Kumbh Mela: Dr Tanzin Dikid, MBBS, MD, Joint Director, Epidemiology, National Centre for Disease Control, India
Mexico: Dr Miguel Lezana – General Director of Epidemiology, Undersecretariat for Health Policies and Population Wellbeing, Mexico’s Ministry of Health