Mass gatherings (MGs) always incur some kind of potential hazard associated with incipiency of emergency situations with sanitary-epidemiological bias (ES). Upcoming Universiade (World Student Games) in Kazan (July, 2013) raises an issue of implementation of a unified system of approaches to the effective provision of sanitary-epidemiological welfare of the population, taking due account of peculiarities and specific conditions under which the MG will be conducted. Therewith key objective of this study has been formulated as elaboration of the system based on epidemiological assessment of real and potential threats at the MG. Analyzed have been the data on 37 MGs carried out over the period of 25 years since 1987 up to 2012; investigated is epidemiological situation in 170 participating states. Worked out is a scheme of qualitative determination of potential epidemiological threat on the basis of comprehensive assessment of epidemiological risks in the endemic territories of the troubled regions. Distinguished is a complex of measures for the provision of sanitary-epidemiological welfare when managing the Universiade in Kazan heedful of high potential epidemiological hazard of this event.

International public events (IPE) present some actual epidemiological problems requiring proper methodological elaboration. In this respect for the first time developed has been the scheme of assessment of their potential epidemic hazard (PEH), based on integrated evaluation of epidemiological risk as regards infectious diseases listed in the IHR (2005). On the cholera model demonstrated is the fact that high priority hazard of public events emerges when those are combined with such elements of epidemiological risk as territory and time of a threat, as well as risk factors and risk contingents. Thus the integral effect of all elements realization is manifested through high probability of infectious disease importation, which is associated with emergency situation, into the public event location and the disturbance of mass gathering progress. Reliability and functionality of the developed scheme is verified on other infections too. PEH assessment procedure allows for timely identification of priority goals, for rating means and capacities, organizational resources, methodological and technological arrays for the provision of sanitary-epidemiological welfare and biological safety when managing public event.

Retrospective analysis of cholera spread in the early period of the seventh pandemic in Russia (1970-1973) has been carried out. It was elucidated that importation and further spread of cholera in the Astrakhan region in 1970 had been realized through the water way. The development of a large cholera focus in the territory of this region determined the unfavorable situation as regards this infection in the whole country in the period of 1970-1972. Water transport was shown to play the main role in cholera spread. The risk cohorts were the population of the Astrakhan region, shipboard personnel of the Volga steamship company, fishermen, persons without permanent residence. Molecular-genetic analysis of cholera agent strains isolated from the patients (vibriocarriers) and the environment showed that they belonged to one clone, thus the common origin of cholera cases in the basin of the Volga was confirmed.

Presently Africa is one of the most affected regions of the world as regards cholera. More than 55 000 people are infected every year. The review contains the data on comparative assessment of epidemic manifestations associated with the current pandemic, caused by Vibrio cholerae biovar El Tor, and the preceding six pandemics, the agent of which was cholera vibrios of classical biovar. Studied have been the factors of large-scale cholera dissemination in Africa in the modern period and problems of its prophylaxis.

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