Maha Kumbh Mela 2025: Devotion And Health At Crossroads - Can World's Largest Religious Gathering Avoid Crisis?

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Maha Kumbh Mela 2025 - "mankind's biggest gathering" - has been a case of study among health experts for a long time. This Maha Kumbh Mela, like any other magnificently large-scale event, has been a major centre of attention, with researchers fearing it could pose critical health challenges in controlling transmission of several diseases, infection and flu.

India has been on alert over the spread of the Human metapneumovirus or HMPV. Although the virus is not new , the flu cases among young children and rapid spread of the virus and influenza, which cause respiratory problems, in China raised alarms globally.

Amid the concerns, the World Health Organization (WHO) noted that in many countries, trends in acute respiratory infections increase at this time of year. "These increases are typically caused by seasonal epidemics of respiratory pathogens such as seasonal influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and other common respiratory viruses, including human metapneumovirus (hMPV), as well as mycoplasma pneumoniae," it added.

In the wake of this winter flu season, the holding of such mass gathering may pose health risks. Many experts also suggesting people to avoid going to crowded places to mitigate virus sprea .

"The upcoming Kumbh Mela [2025], one of the largest religious gatherings globally, is expected to draw millions of pilgrims across India and beyond. While this event is deeply rooted in tradition and spirituality, it also presents significant public health challenges," stated an article published in Travel Medicine and Infectious Diseas in 2024.

This years' Maha Kumbh Mela 2025, which began on January 13, is said to be a "once in a lifetime experience" as it being held after 144 years due to the rare celestial alignment of planets.

Since Day 1, Maha Kumbh Mela 2025 has been drawing crores of devotees, saints, and pilgrims not just from India, but from across the globe.

On the first day of 'Amrit Snan', observed on January 14, as many as 3.5 crore devotees bathed in scared Sangam. A day earlier (January 13), more than 1.5 crore devotees took a dip in the holy waters in Prayagraj.

A study published in the 'Journal of Travel Medicine ' in May 2024 indicated that "acute respiratory infections, fever, skin disorders, diarrhoea and other infectious diseases like influenza, gastroenteritis, chickenpox, hepatitis etc. can spread more easily during the Kumbh Mela because of the numerous religious events, cramped living quarters, and solid and liquid waste produced throughout the event."

The study illustrated several variables that contribute to the transmission of contagious diseases during mass gatherings, such as the Kumbh Mela (See below)

"A comprehensive review of the Kumbh Mela" published in Science Direct in February 2015 stated that increased population density, reduced hygienic conditions and exposure to environmental pollutants pave the way for easy transmission of pathogens.

The review revealed,“The difference in healthcare seeking attitude and religious beliefs combined with high crowd mobility make it particularly difficult to measure the disease burden accurately.”

However, it noted that the focus should not be only on accurately measuring the disease burden but also on mitigating the potential risk factors.

Mass gatherings have earlier identified with respiratory, faeco-oral, vector-borne, zoonotic, blood-borne and sexual modes of disease transmissions.

The 2015 report highlighted non-communicable risks, which may include stampedes, heat-related illness, accidents and terrorist attacks. It also poses complex public challenges including crowd control, management of health services and public security.

"In addition, rituals in religious events, such as rolling on the floor, or bathing naked in the river early in the morning, may predispose to skin, respiratory, gastrointestinal and genitourinary infections," the study stated.

Bathing in the river as well as the close proximity of millions of people may also dramatically increase the risk of water-borne infection and disease.

The earliest documented record of infectious disease at the Kumbh Mela festival was an outbreak of cholera in 1817. There were sporadic epidemics during the Kumbh Mela in 1892, 1948, and in the 1960s, according to the report published in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases.

The "Comprehensive review of the Kumbh Mela" cited a 1895 epidemic report that suggested interplay of three factors that lead to cholera epidemics during the Mela. These were:

1. Fouling of river waters by the exceptionally large proportion of bathers to the quantity of water available

2. Growth of the Vibrio cholerae assisted by the unusually hot weather at the site

3. Increased virulence of the bacteria elsewhere in India.

The last cholera epidemic in the Mela was reported in 1906 despite good sanitary arrangements, the report stated. "The reasons were attributed to drying up of the rivers and subsequent drinking of water from polluted beds, failure of patients to destroy soiled clothes and excreta of cholera patients and superstitious beliefs regarding drinking treated well water," it said.

The report added that no epidemics have been reported since then, although there are studies cautioning about potential epidemics in the future.

Meanwhile, a case stud mentioned in the report "Health implications of mass gatherings: Kumbh Mela in India 2025', stated,“In 2021, both the Kumbh Mela at Haridwar and the Magh Mela at Prayagraj saw a clear impact of large gatherings on the rise in total COVID-19 cases.”

The health department made comprehensive arrangements to tackle potential health challenges at Maha Kumbh Mela 2025, especially the HMPV virus.

Upper Mela Officer Vivek Chaturvedi told news agency ANI that continuous communication and workshops are being conducted among all the doctors and consultants, ensuring that they are fully equipped.

He also mentioned that the guidelines received from the Government of India and the Uttar Pradesh government will be followed appropriately.

Notably, the public health aspects related to Kumbh Mela event have not been fully studied. "While there is more that can be done, the overall health risks associated with Kumbh Mela have improved considerably," noted the report in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases.

"In-depth studies of the Kumbh Mela in the future are required to generate evidence for context-specific measures to address the complex health challenges of mass gatherings. Understanding the Kumbh Mela can highlight the health challenges faced and provide crucial lessons for the management of mass gatherings," the report suggested.

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