Stampede at the Kumbh Mela: Preventable Accident?

This National Academies report summarizes the proceedings of a workshop aimed at fostering cross-sectoral dialogue and action to improve the conditions for health. Health is influenced by a wide range of factors, many of which fall outside of the health care delivery sector. These determinants of health include, for example, the characteristics of how people live, work, learn, and play. Decision- and policy-making in areas such as transportation, housing, and education at different levels of…

This Lancet Series examines the essential role of good city planning in supporting health. Following up on the 2016 series on the same topic, this set of articles reflects on policy indicators and planning approaches that bridge urban design, transport, and population health. Articles in the series reflect on the important role of monitoring and evaluation, and related commentaries emphasize the necessity of city planning in climate change mitigation and sustainable city adaptations. Series papers…

This article in The Lancet discusses how China’s expanding road networks and wider personal vehicle ownership are shaping public health in the country. Although public sector and technological innovation is advancing very rapidly in China, road traffic injuries and fatalities have also increased—accounting for 80 percent of accidental deaths in the country. Insufficient emergency rescue and trauma response systems have exacerbated this transportation-related mortality. Beyond preventable road traffic injuries and fatalities, the rapid movement in…