Interim planning considerations for mass gatherings in the context of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 influenza

Overview

Mass gatherings are highly visible events with the potential for serious public health and political consequences if they are not planned and managed carefully. There is ample documentation that mass gatherings can amplify and spread infectious diseases. Respiratory infections, including influenza, have been frequently associated with mass gatherings. Such infections can be transmitted during the mass gathering, during transit to and from the event, and in participants’ home communities upon their return.