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:
Mass gatherings are usually sporting events (such as Olympic Games) or religious pilgrimages (such as Kumbh Mela or Arba'een Pilgrimage). They are highly visible [3] and in some cases, millions of people attend them.
Here is some Statistics about the latest mass gatherings in the world:
2022:
July: Hajj in Mecca: 1 million [4]
September: Arba'een Pilgrimage in Karbala: 21 million [5]
2020-2021:
No more mass gathering due to COVID-19
2020:
January: Qasem Soleimani's funeral in Tehran: 7 million [6]
2019:
January: Kumbh Mela in Allahabad: 14 million [7]
February: Kumbh Mela in Allahabad: 50 million [8]
August: Hajj in Mecca: 2.5 million [9]
October: Arba'een Pilgrimage in Karbala: 18 million [10]
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]