Health considerations during upcoming mass gatherings
Summary
Mass gatherings and increase in travel both domestically and internationally, especially during the warmer summer months, create opportunities for illness to occur and disease to spread. This Technical Bulletin serves to remind providers to be vigilant for heat-related, travel-related, and unusual occurrences of illnesses and to report cases to the relevant health authority.
Background
This summer, in addition to North America hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup, there are many other celebrations/mass gatherings including the 250th Anniversary of the United States of America on July 4th, Pride festivals, and multiple music and summer festivals around the country. While Nevada is not hosting any official World Cup events, we expect increased travel to Nevada during the season. With increased visitors entering the state from all over the country and the world, there is a wide range of illnesses to be aware of including but not limited to: foodborne diseases, heat-related illnesses, vaccine-preventable diseases, vector-borne diseases, high consequence infectious diseases1, and biological agents.
Recommendations for Health Care Providers
- Review patient travel history and be alert for signs and symptoms of communicable disease not typically seen in the community such as viral hemorrhagic fever, malaria, dengue, mpox, vaccine-preventable diseases (e.g., measles), and other unusual occurrences of disease.
- Review the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Travel Health Notices for the latest advisories and recommendations related to global outbreaks. The Yellow Book is another helpful tool for learning about specific diseases that are linked to travel in certain countries.
- Be familiar with high consequence infectious disease1 risks and be prepared to identify, isolate, and inform your local health authority about suspect cases.
- Be aware of potential increases in heat-related illnesses, foodborne illnesses, and crowd-related injuries, including burns, smoke inhalation and other injuries related to pyrotechnics.
- Be aware of potential increases in substance use and overdose events.
Recommendations for Health Care Facilities
- Review triage protocols for different threats with staff, including precaution levels, decontamination, and personal protective equipment (PPE) needed.
- Reinforce infection prevention and control principles.
- Keep inventory of personal protective equipment (PPE) available and review isolation capacity.
- Please reach out to your local public health authority if you need additional support with securing specific PPE, and they will assist with coordination.
Reporting a Case
To report a case, please contact your local health authority.
| Local Health Authority | County(ies) | Fax & Phone Number to Report | Disease Reporting Website |
| Carson City Health and Human Services (CCHHS) | Carson City, Douglas, and Lyon | Fax: 775-887-2138 Ph: 775-434-1690 (M-F 8am-5pm) Ph: 775-887-2190 (24 hours) | Website |
| Central Nevada Health District (CNHD) | Churchill, Mineral, Eureka, and Pershing | Fax: 877-513-3442 Ph: 775-866-7535 (24 hours) | Website |
| Northern Nevada Public Health (NNPH, formerly WCHD) | Washoe | Fax: 775-328-3764 Ph: 775-328-2447 (24 hours) | Website |
| Southern Nevada Health District (SNHD) | Clark | Fax: 702-759-1414 Ph: 702-759-1300 (24 hours) | Website |
| Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health (DBPH) Office of State Epidemiology | All other counties | Fax: 775-684-5999 Ph: 775-400-0333 (24 hours) | Website |
Additional Resources
Current Foodborne Outbreaks | CDC
Nevada and Heat-Related Illness | OSE
Questions
For updated guidance, review the Division of Public and Behavioral Health Technical Bulletin web page regularly. Email DBPHEpi@health.nv.gov for other questions regarding mass gatherings and preparedness for travel-related illnesses.