Academic literature on the topic 'Mass religious gatherings'

COVID-19 is a pathogen which is transmitted by the respiratory route may be sufficient enough to prove that mass gatherings, mass migrations and other types of clusters play a menacing role in the spread of contagious diseases. Globally, the source of several infectious diseases includes mass gatherings for sports events, religious events, concerts etc. People participating in such clusters as religious pilgrims, Olympic spectators and others becomes a carrier for leading to spread of disease. So any social gathering relating to religion or any other should be banned—guidelines developed by WHO are vital data for central organizations for formulating the multitude planning for a cluster. Risk evaluation, response, and monitoring are the basis of preparation; the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 31000 is a well-accepted risk management methodology. In India, control and preparedness are dependent on the state Government because of Nipah virus which was experienced by Kerala in 2018. Hence this state can maintain low mortality because of the use of contact tracing, social distancing and avoiding clusters. All the pandemic has made us realize the need to respect the species, social and environmental relationships to live and flourish. The epidemiological investigations should be carried out timely to confirm the cluster belonging to a particular family, workplace or public area. The strategies such as the reversal of social gatherings (such as work from home and home-schooling), social distancing and cancellation of social events can prevent mass gathering and a global threat of an epidemiologic expansion of disease outbreaks.

Background/Purpose: Hajj and Umrah are one of the most significant and long-standing recurring religious mass gatherings events across the world. The mass gathering in Hajj and Umrah may provide potential environment for transmission of viral respiratory infections. Therefore, rising awareness of the Holy Mosque visitors could be helpful in reducing the risk of infections transmission.

Introduction:Mass gatherings are growing in frequency. Religious, or in this case, “mass” mass gatherings are also growing in complexity, requiring considerable effort from nations hosting a Papal Mass. Ireland hosted a papal mass in 1979 when the prospect of terrorism at such events was significantly lower. Large high-profile events such as a Papal Mass offer a platform via the media and social media to gain widespread coverage of adverse events. In 2018, a predicted 500,000 guests were scheduled to attend a Papal Mass gathering in Phoenix Park, Dublin, a bounded 1,700-hectare park in the center of Dublin.Aim:To develop a medical plan estimating numbers of people requiring medical attention at a Papal Mass held in Ireland late August 2018, and compare same with actual numbers treated post-event. This study aims to reduce the medical impact of such an event on local receiving hospitals through plans that effectively manage medical- and trauma-related presentations on site.Methods:A literature review of medical reports regarding medical care at Papal Mass gatherings worldwide found a range of predicted medical attendance from 21-61 per 10,000 attendees. On that basis we had prepared on-site facilities, facilities on travel routes and access point system for medical care for a crowd of 500,000 were selected.Results:One of 6 receiving hospitals in Dublin had an increase in average presentations on the day. Attendance was reduced significantly due to weather. 261 patients were treated on site, falling in line with lower rate predicted of 31 patients treated in hospital on site and 17 transports off-site.Discussion:A predictable number of patients presented for medical care. On-site medical services reduced transports to hospital. Reduced attendance ensured facilities were sufficient, but could have been under the pressure of the predicted attendance of 500,000.

Introduction:Human Stampedes (HS) occur at religious mass gatherings. Religious events have a higher rate of morbidity and mortality than other events that experience HS. This study is a subset analysis of religious event HS data regarding the physics principles involved in HS, and the associated event morbidity and mortality.Aim:To analyze reports of religious HS to determine the initiating physics principles and associated morbidity and mortality.Methods:Thirty-four reports of religious HS were analyzed to find shared variables. Thirty-three (97.1%) were written media reports with photographic, drawn, or video documentation. 29 (85.3%) cited footage/photographs and 1 (2.9%) was not associated with visual evidence. Descriptive phrases associated with physics principles contributing to the onset of HS and morbidity data were extracted and analyzed to evaluate frequency before, during, and after events.Results:34 (39.1%) reports of HS found in the literature review were associated with religious HS. Of these, 83% were found to take place in an open space, and 82.3% were associated with population density changes. 82.3% of events were associated with architectural nozzles (small streets, alleys, etc). 100% were found to have loss of XY-axis motion and 89% reached an average velocity of zero. 100% had loss of proxemics and 91% had associated Z-axis displacement (falls). Minimum reported attendance for a religious HS was 3000. 100% of religious HS had reported mortality at the event and 56% with further associated morbidity.Discussion:HS are deadly events at religious mass gatherings. Religious events are often recurring, planned gatherings in specific geographic locations. They are frequently associated with an increase in population density, loss of proxemics and velocity, followed by Z-axis displacements, leading to injury and death. This is frequently due to architectural nozzles, which those organizing religious mass gatherings can predict and utilize to mitigate future events.

ABSTRACT:Background:We explore the health care literature and draw on two decades of experience in the provision of medical care at mass gatherings and special events to illustrate the complementary aspects of mass gathering medical support and disaster medicine. Most communities have occasions during which large numbers of people assemble in public or private spaces for the purpose of celebrating or participating in musical, sporting, cultural, religious, political, and other events. Collectively, these events are referred to as mass gatherings. The planning, preparation, and delivery of health-related services at mass gatherings are understood to be within the discipline of emergency medicine. As well, we note that owing to international events in recent years, there has been a heightened awareness of and interest in disaster medicine and the level of community preparedness for disasters. We propose that a synergy exists between mass gathering medicine and disaster medicine.Method:Literature review and comparative analysis.Results:Many aspects of the provision of medical support for mass gathering events overlap with the skill set and expertise required to plan and implement a successful medical response to a natural disaster, terrorist incident, or other form of disaster.Conclusions:There are several practical opportunities to link the two fields in a proactive manner. These opportunities should be pursued as a way to improve the level of disaster preparedness at the municipal, provincial, and national levels.

The main aim of this study is to present an overview of human stampedes and to identify the major triggering factors with respect to the type of events leading to number of fatalities and injuries. Considering major crowd incidents, the stampedes were categorized based on location, triggering factor, type of event and year of occurrence. This paper lists a total of 137 stampedes occurred all over the world between the years 1883 and 2017. The details include the name and type of event, location of the event, number of injuries and fatalities, probable reason for the stampede and type of reliable source. Stampedes are classified based on type of events as religious, sports, entertainment, festival, political and others. Among all types of events, religious gatherings cause 64% of total fatalities and 51% injuries. The triggering factors are identified as rumours, fire, structural failure, narrow passage, overcrowding and others. Out of all the triggering factors mentioned above, narrow passage causes about 27% fatalities followed by overcrowding and rumours with 23 and 21% respectively. The majority of injuries caused by overcrowding turn out to be 35%. It is also observed that the frequency of stampede occurrences increasing since 1980. This study can be considered as an initial step in giving an overview of human stampedes, which would help to prepare a framework based on the past experiences. Further, it can give better insights for large-scale crowd management and to minimize the loss of human lives in future.

Religious mass gatherings, especially pilgrimages of various faiths, involve overcrowding and the international movement of people, exposing individuals to significant health risks, such as the spread of infectious diseases, crowds, exposure to bad weather, physical stress, or risks due to pre-existing medical conditions. This paper aims to review the literature related to health care research on religious mass gatherings, with special reference to the role of awareness creation, training, and risk awareness for individuals during Hajj. The results indicated that the research on health risks associated with large-scale gatherings showed that some countries (which witness religious gatherings) follow effective preventive measures to reduce health risks, while some countries did not (and linked this to its poor infrastructure and the low standard of living in it, such as India). It also showed that most studies overlooked identifying the causes of infectious diseases and determining the perceptions of participants in mass gatherings. While it showed that environmental factors strongly influence the emergence of infectious diseases among individuals, the results also showed the scarcity of research that revolves around the awareness of community members, the health risks of mass gatherings, preventive measures against diseases, and the main effects on individuals’ perceptions of risks. The results also showed a lack of research evidence on how pilgrims perceive risks, adopt information, and interact with their willingness to be trained in preventive measures.

The number of participants in mass gatherings like Kumbh Mela is ever increasing. Simulations for pre-event crowd modeling, risk assessment, and control planning can help set up robust crowd management and control mechanisms. However, it is necessary to understand better the processes and crowd movement patterns in mass gatherings to model and simulate crowds in such contexts. To this end, the activity-based modeling approach helps analyze the factors that influence different aspects of activity participation and time allocation for pilgrims. These aspects include the type of activities performed, the location and timing preferences for performing these activities, the time spent in different activity locations, etc. A good understanding of these factors can help in better modeling and simulating the spatio-temporal evolution of population density at the location of a mass gathering. This thesis analyzes the factors influencing activity participation and duration for pilgrim groups and presents corresponding behavioral interpretations and policy implications. The groups mainly comprise non-resident individuals who are not necessarily from the same household. We use the activity diary and demographic data collected in the Kumbh Mela held in Ujjain in 2016 for our analyses. We contribute in the following ways towards the literature through our approach to analyze group behavior in mass religious gatherings: first, we abstract the activities into religious activities at ghat, temple, and camp locations, and identify the group demographic attributes that can influence the activity participation and duration. We then develop empirical models to analyze group activity participation and duration using binary logit, linear regression, and multiple discrete-continuous extreme value (MDCEV) models. The behavioral interpretations, backed up by findings from prior studies, and policy implications, appear consistent across our models. Our MDCEV models may be useful for aggregate activity time allocation along with models for location-specific allocations.

Understanding the principles and applications of crowd dynamics in mass gatherings is very important, specifically with respect to crowd risk analysis and crowd safety. Historical trends from India and other countries suggest that the crowd crushes in mass gatherings, especially in religious events, frequently occur, highlighting the importance of studying crowd behaviour more scientifically. This is required to support appropriate and timely crowd management principles in planning crowd control measures and providing early warning systems at mass gatherings. Hitherto, the researchers have studied the previous incidents of crowd crushes from the viewpoint of high density and the resulting physical forces and poor geometric facilities, but the factors such as psychological triggers and weather are overlooked. Further, although the average number of victims per panic event seems to decrease, their total number increases with the frequency of mass religious gatherings. Unless proper measures are in place, this trend will continue. Therefore, a comprehensive risk assessment is required to assess the potentially risky situations associated with an event that can lead to crowd crushes. To manage large crowds, an understanding of crowd dynamics is required to reasonably predict the level of risk and implement appropriate crowd management measures. However, there is a lack of empirical studies with real-world data on crowd behaviour and dynamics. Therefore, deriving motivation from the given background, the objectives of this research are: (1) to conduct a detailed empirical data collection in a mass religious gathering in an uncontrolled setup, (2) to understand the fundamental relationships between speed, flow, and density across different sections of case study, (3) to analyse the potentially risky situations observed in the site, and (4) to develop a comprehensive crowd risk model concerning crowd movement in mass religious gatherings and arrive at a Crowd Risk Index (CRI) which can give a range of values on scale defining the possibilities of crowd risks in a given area of mass religious gathering. The case study considered was Kumbh Mela 2016, held in Ujjain, India, between 22 April and 21 May. It attracted an estimated population of 75 million with an interesting mix of domestic and international pilgrims, spiritual leaders, and holy men, who journeyed to Ujjain from short duration (one day) to long-term stay (throughout the event). The key attractions of Kumbh were (1) taking a dip in the river Kshipra and (2) visiting temples. Data was collected throughout the event, covering the important days on which the crowd was expected to be more. Data in video form was recorded using Go-Pro, head-mount cameras, mobile phones and CCTV cameras. Additionally, data was also collected using GPS trackers and survey forms. Further, quantitative data was collected through visual observations. The Crowd Risk Index was developed from three pillars of indices: Crowd Dynamic Index (CDI), Crowd Anxiety Index (CAI), and Temperature-Humidity Index (THI). CDI include (i) macroscopic fundamental flow diagrams of a spiritually motivated crowd (ii) characteristics of stop and go waves in one-dimensional interrupted pedestrian flow through narrow channels (iii) understanding social group behaviour in the crowd and the effect of the presence of groups on the crowd movement, and (iv) understanding serpentine group behaviour and its impact on crowd dynamics. Using the above-mentioned study observations, the CDI was developed for ghat and temple locations as they were the two key attractions of Kumbh Mela. All the variables were used both for ghat and temple model. About 53 expert opinions were gathered separately for the temple and ghat videos. The experts rated the risk levels from the video clippings as low, medium, or high. Low was taken as class 1, medium as class 2, and high as class 3, which was given as an input to the CDI. The dataset was imbalanced, and so the SMOTE-Tomek Link method was used to balance out the dataset. Cross Validation technique using the Random Forest algorithm was used to predict the level of risk for CDI. CAI included the patience and aggression scores obtained from the study conducted on understanding the crowd’s emotions. A Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was performed, and hypotheses testing were done to verify the relationship between the first order (cue-dependence (CD), tolerance (TO) and goal-oriented (GO); norm violation (NV), obstruction to movement (DO) and social display of power (SP)) and second-order factors (patience and aggression). All the first-order factors under patience and aggression were found to have a direct and significant impact on the second-order factors, i.e., patience and aggression, respectively. The patience and aggressions scores were obtained from the path loadings. Moreover, the effect of high temperature can have an indirect impact on the CRI through increasing aggression. This was also included in the index. The dataset here was also imbalanced, and so the SMOTE-Tomek Link method was used to balance out the dataset. The same Cross Validation technique using the Random Forest algorithm was used to predict the level of risk for CAI. A value between 0 and 1is class 1 (low), a value between 1 and 2 is class 2 (medium), and a value between 2 and 3 is class 3 (high). THI from literature was used to gauge the effect of temperature on the crowd risk. Kumbh Mela 2016 was held during peak summer under the scorching heat. The average temperature across the event duration was above 91-degree Fahrenheit, which implies that the event happened under severe stress conditions. This indicates the importance of including temperature effects into the model, especially for events that happen under high-temperature conditions. The comfort zone values were considered as class 1 (low), mild and severe stress conditions are combined as class 2 (medium), and severe stress conditions as class 3 (high). The CAI, CDI, and THI together form the CRI. The relative importance of these indices was also gathered from the same 53 experts. The weights were then calculated using the AHP process. Then the final CRI prediction equation was formulated. A CRI value between 0 and 1 indicates low risk, a value between 1 and 2 indicates medium risk, and a value between 2 and 3 indicates high risk. This can help in predicting the level of risk in a given area for every one-minute interval. Therefore, the CRI developed includes factors such as crowd anxiety and temperature, other than the crowd dynamics and behaviours, as it is important to include a comprehensive set of factors for a better prediction. With an overarching understanding of the factors leading to critical crowd conditions, the CRI developed in this work can help reasonably predict the level of risk and implement appropriate crowd management measures. However, the approach used in the study has its own set of limitations. There are other important factors that could endanger crowd safety, including bottleneck movement and crowd turbulence, among others, which are not considered. Studying and incorporating these into the CRI can result in a more accurate model. Adding health-related aspects and studying other psychological aspects supplemented with video data can also improve the model's precision. In addition, a comparison of different machine learning techniques to assess their performance could be a follow-up to this research. Despite these limitations, the study proposes a novel methodology for predicting crowd risk in mass religious gatherings. This is a one-of-a-kind study in crowd disaster and crowd safety that has never been attempted before in the literature.

COVID-19 changed everything, especially the technologies of Black faith. There is no going back to the analog church that requires large spatial constructs or mass gatherings of physical bodies to remain viable and vibrant. In the wake of multiple pandemics, the ground has shifted for the Black Church as it encounters a new hyperpublic with heightened surveillance in the Digital Age. Black millennials are calling religious communities toward a digital awakening, marking a substantial shift in the sustainability and vitality of the Black Church tradition. How will the Black Church respond?

Travel-related problems have been reported in up to two-thirds of travellers to developing countries and approximately 10% of them seek medical advice during or after return from abroad. Furthermore, global migration from the developing to the developed world has increased over the past decades and these individuals may present with tropical infections soon after arrival in non-endemic settings. Fever, with or without localizing symptoms or signs, is a common presenting symptom in returning travellers. Most unwell travellers seek medical attention within one month of return from abroad. Travellers who visit friends and relatives (VFRs) in their countries of origin are disproportionately affected by the burden of imported infections, e.g. 70% of patients with imported malaria in the United Kingdom (UK) are VFRs. While most febrile travellers have common infections such as respiratory or urinary tract infection, it is of paramount importance not to miss potentially life-threatening tropical infections. Evaluation of fever in returning travellers requires an understanding of the geographical distribution of infectious diseases, risk factors for acquisition, incubation periods, and major clinical syndromes of travel-associated infections. The following points should be considered when assessing febrile international travellers: A. Travel dates: the relationship between the timing of the onset of symptoms and travel dates should be assessed. B. Geography: ● travel destination: a detailed itinerary is required. ● local setting: urban vs rural locations; type of accommodation, e.g. air-conditioned hotel room, outdoor camping, etc. C. Risk factors for acquiring infectious diseases: ● purpose of travel: visiting friends and family; social gatherings (e.g. funerals and weddings); mass gatherings (e.g. Hajj pilgrimage, Kumbh Mela religious festival, Olympic games, etc.); tourism; business; voluntary work. ● contact with unwell individuals. ● activities while abroad (examples): ■ food consumption: street food, seafood, raw food, unpasteurized dairy products, exotic foods, bush meat, etc. ■ contact with animals: visits to game parks, farms, caves, bites or scratches by bats or terrestrial animals, visits to ‘wet markets’, birding events, etc. ■ bites: ticks, insects, snakes, spiders, etc. ■ use of local healthcare system: dental or surgical procedures, blood transfusion, dialysis, tattoos, acupuncture.

Abstract This chapter analyzes revivalism as a set of beliefs and practices that undergirded the transatlantic evangelical movement. From the 1740s onward, revivalism grew out of the religious awakenings across the North Atlantic world, dramatic events which early evangelicals narrated as extraordinary works of God. The chapter traces the antecedents, development, and legacies of these revivals and maps the ways in which they were interpreted and theorized by evangelicals. It then describes the beliefs that revivalism entailed, which grew from evangelical readings of scripture, history, and current events, as well as the practices that comprised revivals, including outdoor gatherings, small group meetings, prayer services, hymn-singing, and extemporaneous sermons. Moderate and radical evangelicals differed in their approaches to revival, especially in regard to what means were appropriate and the extent to which revivals fit within or undermined the established order. Yet, until the early nineteenth century, evangelicals generally agreed on the basics of revival: the importance of prayer, the centrality of itinerant preaching, and the need to participate in the work of the Holy Spirit converting others to saving faith. The chapter concludes with a discussion of later developments in revivalism, with particular attention to nineteenth-century preacher Charles Finney, whose emphasis on technique and confidence in human capability departed from the more modest approaches of eighteenth-century revivalists.