The Lancet Infectious Disease
Dec 2010  Volume 10 Number 12  Pages 813 – 892
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/issue/current

The Lancet conference on mass gatherings medicine
John McConnell, Ziad Memish

Preview
What constitutes a mass gathering is challenging to define. Ensuring a safe environment and provision of health care during mass gatherings can be equally challenging. The event that formed the focus of The Lancet conference on mass gatherings medicine (Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Oct 23–25, 2010) was the annual Hajj pilgrimage, which takes place in and around the city of Mecca, not far from the venue of the conference. The Hajj occurs over 5 days during the final month of the Islamic calendar (officially beginning this year on Nov 14 of the Gregorian calendar), attracts 2–3 million visitors, and is the largest annual mass gathering.