Health planning for large public events

Large public events, or mass gatherings, including sports competitions, political, religious, cultural and artistic events, have the potential to introduce natural, accidental and deliberate risks to health, including but not limited to those posed by communicable diseases.

As such, they can severely strain public health systems and services, compromising countries’ abilities to detect problems and respond. In particular, the health risks posed at mass gatherings by communicable diseases can stretch health systems beyond their capacity, both in the host countries and the countries to which visitors return.

WHO and its partners support national authorities with preparations for mass gatherings and have produced joint health advice for mass gathering attendees. For example, WHO Regional Office for Europe provided advice and technical support to Member States for the Olympics and Winter Olympics, football championships and other major events. This includes health protection and planning, disease prevention, enhanced event-based surveillance and alert and response measures for mass gatherings.

Mass gathering preparations can create valuable legacies by having a sustainable positive impact on public health systems. The work involved to achieve this may also help to strengthen health systems’ emergency preparedness (through an all-hazard approach to preparedness planning) and support the implementation of the International Health Regulations (IHR).