Identification of potential health risks in mass gatherings: A study from Sabarimala pilgrimage, Kerala, India

Joseph, Joice K.; Babu, Naveen; Dev, Karunakaran Akhil; Pradeepkumar, A.P.

doi:10.1016/j.ijdrr.2016.04.008

Cited by 25 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…In this study, the risks due to lack of support on resources and inefficiency of gatherings’ safety recognized in this domain were reported as Lack or shortage of patient care workers such as Physicians or Paramedics;[181926313336] flow directions;[20] risk assessment;[20] communication;[20] pre-event advice;[23] a plan for vaccination before gatherings;[2526] coordination;[26] free water as well as terrorist attacks; difficult access to water and food;[28] difficult access to medical facilities;[262732] and duration of MG.[38]…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the present study, environmental risks threatening the health of participants in MGs included weather risks such as cold, environmental heat,[1215161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142] precipitation,[12] higher humidity,[121520313842] long distance of gatherings and austere environment,[18] mobility of population,[3142] gatherings in outside (external) and unbounded venues,[32] MGs exposed to traffic accidents,[19] the participants’ number and crowd density,[15182028293139] insect bites, and sunburns. [40]…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In public health domain, risks that threaten the participants’ health in MGs extracted from the study included probability of outbreak and spread of infectious diseases,[192641] unsuitable sanitation and hygiene of water and improper food quality,[2741] improper disposal of wet and dry waste,[27] and finally lack of disease monitoring and surveillance systems. [192527]…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Risks threatening the health of people participating in mass gatherings: A systematic review

Tavan

Tafti

Nekoie-Moghadam

et al. 2019

J Edu Health Promot

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Risks threatening the health of people participating in mass gatherings: A systematic review

Tavan

Tafti

Nekoie-Moghadam

et al. 2019

J Edu Health Promot

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…Literature indicates [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8] that we might be well equipped for response activities but the scientific concept of RA, i.e., to understand the existing risks, identify the risks, characterize the risks, and plan for risk reduction strategies accordingly, are at an infant stage in our country. The little that has been done in the field of MG has generally focused on description of preparedness activities of single event, crowd control, and prevention of stampedes with little attention to public health preparedness.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Along these lines, such MG events are more perilous and hazardous in terms of higher incidence of injury and illness compared to population in general [5]. Preplanning for MG events is crucial, and identification of potential health risks can be a vital element in pre-event planning for a MG [6]. Broadly, it includes health management and major incident planning [7].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Protocol for development of a risk assessment tool for planning and management of religious mass-gathering events of India—a health system-strengthening initiative

Sharma

Desikachari

Sarma

2019

Pilot Feasibility Stud

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Background Religious mass gatherings (MGs) have always been an integral part of our society. At the outset, mass-gathering events provide challenging settings to plan a suitable emergency public health response. Published studies basically talk about retrospective reviews, case studies of the public health preparedness, or health care provided at individual events. Developing an understanding of the variables associated with MGs is the first step for public health managers. Risk assessment (RA) is a crucial part of pre-event planning as it helps foresee potential risks. Based on RA, one can develop preventive measures and ensure that the infrastructure to control the potential problems is in place. This study is an attempt to systemize RA process during MG events in a country that is culturally rich but with poor resources to handle such events. A RA tool will be developed for planning and management of religious MG events of India. Methods/design Various strategies will be used to develop the risk assessment tool (RA tool). Extensive review of literature clubbed with key informant interviews will be done in order to identify the risk variables and decide the domains and items of the tool. Further, this tool will be developed as a mobile-based application. The feasibility of the mobile-based RA tool will be tested in real-time MG event in one part of the country. Concurrently in the same event, a community survey of residents and visitors will be done in order to assess public perceptions of public health and environmental risks associated with MG events. Discussion The findings of this study will provide insights into the public health and environmental concerns that need to be considered if preventive strategies and intervention programs are to be designed for MG events. A “RA Tool,” which can be used in the planning and management of MG events by the public health managers will strengthen the existing health systems preparedness plans for MGs.

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Demand estimation of mass‐gathering healthcare in developing countries: The case of Kumbh Mela in India

Zhao

Mukherjee

et al. 2021

Naval Research Logistics

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A mass-gathering is defined as a congregation of a relatively large number of people in a specific location for a specific purpose over a short duration of time. Managing Mass-Gathering Healthcare (MGH), especially in resource-constrained regions, is a key policy challenge. Planning and preparation for MGH require understanding the sources, and estimation of demand. We propose a spatio-temporal Poisson point process model for MGH demand estimation that considers the associated risk factors. We analyze admissions data from a multi-specialty hospital in Ujjain, India, spanning a period before, during, and after Kumbh Mela, one of the larger religious gatherings globally. The results show that the effect of mass-gathering on hospital admissions is heterogeneous across disease groups. We identify key socio-economic and healthcare infrastructural factors that are associated with MGH demand. We establish the external-validity of the results by demonstrating that mass-gatherings generally increase the spatial dependence across regions, particularly where availability of healthcare infrastructure is relatively low. Finally, we discuss policy insights for managing MGH. KEYWORDShealthcare, hospital admissions, infectious diseases, Kumbh Mela, mass-gathering "If we can keep the area clean and the flies away, then we will be able to keep infections away," says Mr. Dwivedi. His greatest concern is preventing the outbreak of disease.

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Identification of potential health risks in mass gatherings: A study from Sabarimala pilgrimage, Kerala, India

Cited by 25 publications

References 20 publications

Risks threatening the health of people participating in mass gatherings: A systematic review

Risks threatening the health of people participating in mass gatherings: A systematic review

Protocol for development of a risk assessment tool for planning and management of religious mass-gathering events of India—a health system-strengthening initiative

Demand estimation of mass‐gathering healthcare in developing countries: The case of Kumbh Mela in India

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