1 Imagine you are a doctor specializing in infectious disease. Question: What is your worst nightmare1? Answer: A huge gathering of people from all over the world, with many sick or elderly people. Why? Because in this very rapidly and uncontrollably.
2 Mass gatherings, events with huge crowds of people, happen every year around the world, from the Hajj in Saudi Arabia to the World Cup. Global health experts realize that these mass gatherings can increase the spread of epidemics. Now doctors from many countries are sharing their knowledge about these health issues and are working together to find solutions.
3 In a recent report, experts from the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Health shared their knowledge about how to prevent the outbreak of global diseases at mass gatherings. The Ministry has decades of experience in managing the health of pilgrims2 in the yearly Hajj to Mecca in Saudi Arabia. With more than two million pilgrims each year, the Hajj is the largest international mass gathering in the world. Many of the pilgrims arrive from low-income countries and have had little health care. Elderly or sick pilgrims want to complete this very important religious pilgrimage before they die, so they travel to Mecca with thousands of others.
4 According to the report, one of the first strategies is to make sure that all pilgrims receive a health screening3. Saudi health experts have designed special programs to screen pilgrims quickly and efficiently. For example, there is a separate terminal at the Jeddah International Airport for pilgrims. When pilgrims arrive by plane, they receive a health screening and vaccinations, if needed. There is a medical clinic at the airport for sick pilgrims. For pilgrims traveling within Saudi Arabia, officials check vaccination records and make sure people are up to date on all required vaccines.
5 Another important Saudi strategy is to use technology to track the outbreak of diseases. With many new technologies, experts are able to immediately report a person with a disease. That information quickly goes to all health officials, and organizers can take steps to control the outbreak. During a mass gathering, instant reporting is extremely important. During the 2009 Hajj, there was a global outbreak of the H1N1 bird flu pandemic4. Hajj organizers used technology to track and report cases of the flu. They used a cell phone system to collect information and the Internet to send reports instantly. Organizers also worked with the World Health Organization (WHO) to use rapid testing and to quarantine infected pilgrims. They were able to thousands of pilgrims.
6 The field of health for mass gatherings is growing. This is a very new field of medicine, and international cooperation is a key ingredient. The Saudi Ministry of Health has recently created a new diploma course in Mass Gathering and Disaster Medicine, base in Jeddah. The goal is to develop an international center for sharing knowledge. Zaid Memish from the Ministry of Health said that “multinational approaches to public health challenges are likely to become major factors on global health diplomacy and bringing the West a little closer to the East.” International cooperation will help limit the spread of disease and lead to better health around the world.
1 Imagine you are a doctor specializing in infectious disease. Question: What is your worst nightmare1? Answer: A huge gathering of people from all over the world, with many sick or elderly people. Why? Because in this very rapidly and uncontrollably.2 Mass gatherings, events with huge crowds of people, happen every year around the world, from the Hajj in Saudi Arabia to the World Cup. Global health experts realize that these mass gatherings can increase the spread of epidemics. Now doctors from many countries are sharing their knowledge about these health issues and are working together to find solutions.3 In a recent report, experts from the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Health shared their knowledge about how to prevent the outbreak of global diseases at mass gatherings. The Ministry has decades of experience in managing the health of pilgrims2 in the yearly Hajj to Mecca in Saudi Arabia. With more than two million pilgrims each year, the Hajj is the largest international mass gathering in the world. Many of the pilgrims arrive from low-income countries and have had little health care. Elderly or sick pilgrims want to complete this very important religious pilgrimage before they die, so they travel to Mecca with thousands of others.4 According to the report, one of the first strategies is to make sure that all pilgrims receive a health screening3. Saudi health experts have designed special programs to screen pilgrims quickly and efficiently. For example, there is a separate terminal at the Jeddah International Airport for pilgrims. When pilgrims arrive by plane, they receive a health screening and vaccinations, if needed. There is a medical clinic at the airport for sick pilgrims. For pilgrims traveling within Saudi Arabia, officials check vaccination records and make sure people are up to date on all required vaccines.5 Another important Saudi strategy is to use technology to track the outbreak of diseases. With many new technologies, experts are able to immediately report a person with a disease. That information quickly goes to all health officials, and organizers can take steps to control the outbreak. During a mass gathering, instant reporting is extremely important. During the 2009 Hajj, there was a global outbreak of the H1N1 bird flu pandemic4. Hajj organizers used technology to track and report cases of the flu. They used a cell phone system to collect information and the Internet to send reports instantly. Organizers also worked with the World Health Organization (WHO) to use rapid testing and to quarantine infected pilgrims. They were able to thousands of pilgrims.6 The field of health for mass gatherings is growing. This is a very new field of medicine, and international cooperation is a key ingredient. The Saudi Ministry of Health has recently created a new diploma course in Mass Gathering and Disaster Medicine, base in Jeddah. The goal is to develop an international center for sharing knowledge. Zaid Memish from the Ministry of Health said that “multinational approaches to public health challenges are likely to become major factors on global health diplomacy and bringing the West a little closer to the East.” International cooperation will help limit the spread of disease and lead to better health around the world.
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