[Mass-gathering medical strategies: The experience in the International Book Fair in Guadalajara].

INTRODUCTION The Guadalajara International Book Fair (FIL) is a mass gathering, hosting publishing companies from 40 countries and more than 750,000 visitors. It is necessary to prioritize preventive measures focusing on earthquakes, fires, terrorist acts, and prevention of infections. The objective of this study is to describe and analyze the health problems encountered during FIL 2013 in order to improve civil protection services during future events. MATERIAL AND METHODS Descriptive, cross-sectional study, collecting medical histories in accordance with Mexican Official Standard NOM-004-SSA3-2012, and classifying respondents into age groups. A total of 794 medical sheets for patients who received assistance at the Mobile Health Units were analyzed. RESULTS Altogether, 794 (0.1%) patients were medically evaluated out of 750,987 fair visitors during the study period. Of these, 32 patients were <12 years old; 111 were 13-20 years old; 540 were 20-50 years old; and 111 were >50 years old. There were no complicated medical cases. A favorable impact of preventives strategies was observed. CONCLUSIONS Non-complicated medical incidents were observed. It is necessary to increase the knowledge on health among the general public who attend this type of event. Training health professionals is a priority in prevention measures and providing care during mass events of this kind in Mexico's territory.