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The Lancet Magazine Participates in Mass Gathering Conference

02 October 2010

Under the patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz, Mass Gathering Conference events and activities has attracted the Lancet, medical international magazine to participate with the Ministry of Health in organizing the Conference events and activities in Jeddah's Hilton during the period from 23 to 25 October, stated by the Ministry's Spokesman and General Supervisor of Information and Health Awareness, Dr. Khaled Bin Mohammad Mergelani.

This participation in such Conference is considered the first of its kind across the GCC and Middle East Countries. The Conference will host a number of specialist and consultants interested in mass gatherings medical, curative and preventative aspects, especially in monitoring infections and epidemic diseases.

Moreover, a number of health care specialist and world consultants of contagious diseases, public health, viruses and mass gathering experts are looking forward to know more about the Kingdom unique experience in Hajj season where it will be the first experience to view in the Conference.

Lancet Magazine is one of the most important world specialized magazines and concerned in medical fields. The Magazine is issued weekly for more than 187 years, where the first issue was in year 1823, and has a large number of readers, more than 1.5 million readers registered officially on the web. The Magazine will invite medical specialist from across the world to witness this conference events and benefit from their experiences, in addition of introducing scientific work papers and the Conference final recommendations.

Saudi Commission of Health Specialist has designated 27 hours in continuous medical education for the participated health practitioners, medical specialists and Hajj services providers. Such events and activities will be presented in two periods (morning and evening) for 3 days, from 8 am to 5 pm. For those who are interested to participate in the Conference activities, they may register through the Ministry website (www.moh.gov.sa) or by the Lancet Magazine website

(http://conference.thelancet.com/massgatherings).

Dr. Al Mergelani confirmed that a number of local and international consultants and experts in public health, contagious diseases and viruses will participate in the Forum and discuss a number of essential topics such as international health rules and regulations in religious and political gatherings in order to review and discuss isolation, quarantine, vaccination and public hygiene role in preventing diseases spread. In addition of providing basic health care, preventative planning strategies, researches requirements, IT systems, mass gathering management, infrastructures and safety requirements. The Conference will present comparisons and benefit from international experiences in such of (Hajj, World Cup, Olympic Games, and Inauguration of U.S. President Ceremony)

Furthermore, Mass Gathering conference will focus on introducing the Kingdom's Hajj experience since it controls more than 2 million pilgrims with the cooperation of a number of related sectors (i.e. Ministry of Interior, Municipal and Rural Affairs, Ministry of Health and Central Hajj Committee).

Dr. Al Mergelani clarified that the Conference will host more than 500 participants where 30 of them are world experts and represent Ministry of Health for the U.S and Germany, World Health Organization, U.S Diseases Combating Centre, Arab League, GCC Health Ministers Executive Office, World Traveling assembly, FIFA and Islamic Bank. In addition of a number of significant scientific participation from Governmental and local Sectors, i.e. Supreme Hajj Committee, Central Hajj Committee, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Hajj, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Culture and information, Ministry of Municipal Affairs, Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Ministry of Transport, Saudi Red Crescent Authority, General Authority of Civil Aviation, King Fahd Centre of Hajj Researches and Saudi Universities.