17 October 2023
17 October 2023, Cairo, Egypt – Protracted conflicts, natural disasters and climate change-related disasters are significantly increasing in frequency and magnitude in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. Preparedness and international cooperation are urgently needed to protect lives and health infrastructure amid these and other emergencies. “In 2023 alone, our Region has confronted...
04 December 2022
Cairo, 4 December 2022- Twenty-three experts from the WHO Regional Offices for the Eastern Mediterranean and Africa met in Kigali, Rwanda, participated in training for research on attacks on health care workshop between 21 and 26 November 2022. The workshop aimed to demystify the operational research process and build capacity of...
08 June 2022
8 June, Cairo – During a first-of-its-kind event, 27 participants from the WHO Regional Offices for the Eastern Mediterranean, Africa and Europe met in Istanbul to participate in the Leadership in Health Emergencies Phase 2 workshop between 17 and 20 May 2022. The workshop aims to build a cadre of...
30 March 2022
27 March 2022 - The preparation for the second phase of the Early Essential Newborn Care (EENC) training programme started early January 2022 by having a coordination meeting with Sexual Reproductive Health Technical Work Group to select the targeted maternal hospital and the list of participants. This was followed by...
24 February 2022
Northwest Syria, 24 February 2022 — A fruitful partnership between WHO and the Union of Medical Care and Relief Organizations (UOSSM) is further extending its health care support to the people of northwest Syria by initiating a telemedicine consultation service — the first of its kind in the Region — in collaboration with...
28 January 2022
26 January 2022, northwest Syria – As a snowstorm devastated the conflict zone of northwest Syria, WHO and the Health Cluster mobilized efforts to deploy rescue health services to the affected region, home to some 4.4 million people with little to no infrastructure. On top of COVID-19, a severe snowstorm swept through...
15 November 2021
15 November 2021- As WHO is dedicated to alleviating the suffering of the greatest number of people, particularly those most in need, it works with the MENTOR Initiative in northwest Syria – where IDP Camps house dense concentrations of displaced Syrians living in squalid conditions – to combat Leishmaniasis, a...
21 October 2021
21 October 2021 - Last week, an EWARN training was conducted in Gaziantep, Turkey by WHO’s Field Presence Office, with kind support by WHO EMRO. The EWARN training was supported by Technical Officers from WHO EMRO for two weeks and culminated in a 3-day event held in Gaziantep. The overall...
16 October 2021
16 October 2021- Generated in response to the coordination needs between the multiple NGOs managing dialysis units in northwest Syria, WHO’s Dialysis Taskforce was established by the Health Cluster as an emergency project with Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, USA, to analyze long-standing deficiencies, problems and challenges in hemodialysis units in...
20 September 2021
20 September 2021- The onset of COVID-19 has further challenged the already exhausted healthcare system in countries of conflict such as Syria. To prevent its collapse, the WHO has unremittingly supported Syria’s healthcare system - whether before the emergence of COVID-19 or since -- by providing supplies and ensuring access...
12 September 2021
Addis Ababa/Cairo, 11 September 2021 – The World Health Organization (WHO) Logistics Hub in Dubai delivered 85 metric tons of life-saving medical supplies to Ethiopia, the largest single shipment of humanitarian cargo to date airlifted by the Hub. The supplies, including essential medicines, trauma and emergency surgery kits, infusions, consumables, equipment,...
08 September 2021
7 September 2021 - This summer, WHO successfully concluded its Polio Vaccination Campaign in northwest Syria, vaccinating over 900,000 children across the war-torn region. The campaign, led by Dr Loutfy of WHO and Dr Yasser of the Syrian Immunization Group (SIG), initially achieved its monumental target of vaccinating 815,242 children under...
06 September 2021
6 September 2021 - With COVID-19 cases rising and hospitals in parts of war-torn Syria struggling to cope, there has been an urgent need to speed up the vaccination programme. This weekend over 358 000 doses were delivered cross-border by WHO Turkey into northwest Syria. WHO is pleased to announce...
01 August 2021
1 August 2021 – With the kind support of the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) WHO was able to continue to support INSAN that means ‘human’ in Arabic. INSAN, is a non-profit organization that offers psychosocial support to Syrian refugees, plus training to those working in refugee camps....
01 August 2021
1 August 2021 – Each month we present some human interest stories about people whose lives have been changed thanks to the generous and continuous support of the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) and the relentless dedication of our partners on the ground in northwest Syria. The story of...
18 November 2020
Between July 2019 and September 2020, hundreds of tuberculosis (TB) cases were detected in northwest Syria. However, there are still several challenges and some missing links for the optimal implementation of the End TB Strategy according to World Health Organization guidelines. Rifampicin- and multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR/RR-TB), which requires more complex...
08 October 2020
“It’s only recently I discovered I had only one kidney. My immediate thought was how I’d be able to provide for my family now that I’d need transport for regular hospital visits for treatment.” Mohamad*, 34, is father to two girls and a boy. He’s also the breadwinner of a family...
08 October 2020
“After my husband's death eight years ago, I began feeling discomfort and constant fatigue”. The widow Umm Abdullah, 55, is one of between two and three million people that are displaced due to the fighting in northwest Syria; refugees within their own borders. Her husband’s death, one year into a conflict...
08 October 2020
“Among challenges in past months is the general security situation, medicine shortages, and lack of personal protective equipment for our staff", the doctor says as he examines Warda’s foot. We’re in a primary health care centre in the village of Zardana in Idleb governorate, a short distance from the Turkish border....
12 December 2019
WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean Region is building a cadre of leaders to strengthen its response to the unprecedented scale of health emergencies facing the Region today. The Region hosted a 5-day workshop at the Dead Sea, Jordan, for 25 response experts who are enrolled in a year-long learning programme focused on leadership...
22 September 2019
22 September 2019 –The World Health Organization (WHO) has serious concerns over recent reporting of an increase in the number of child deaths in Al Hol camp. Such reporting has provided an inaccurate analysis on under-5 mortality, misrepresented some of the data, and overstated the gravity of the health situation...
04 July 2019
2 July 2019 --To meet the needs of the recently displaced people in north-west Syrian Arab Republic, the World Health Organization (WHO) and partners have deployed eight mobile clinics since the beginning of May 2019. These mobile clinics are often the only source of health care to people who have...
19 May 2019
10 May 2019 - On 18 March 2019, a flood hit the eastern part of Mazandaran and Golestan provinces after four days of heavy rain. A few days later, additional floods in the west, southwest, and northeast of the country affected thousands of people. Shortly after, a third wave of...
08 April 2019
Cairo, 8 April 2019 — “When I see the vast number of people trapped in emergency countries in our Region, including children who are severely malnourished, I am more determined to keep doing whatever I can to help save their lives,” says Hala Khudari, technical officer in the WHO Regional Office's health emergencies...
07 March 2019
8 March 2019 – Millions of women in the Eastern Mediterranean Region continue to be affected by years of war, displacement, and poverty. The conditions these women face everyday are extremely harsh. From losing their husbands and children, to fleeing their homes and struggling to find safe shelter, their journeys...
05 December 2018
5 December 2018, Cairo, Egypt – Seven countries from the Eastern Mediterranean Region are participating in a simulation exercise for a global pandemic which started on 4 December. The exercise is coordinated by the World Health Organization’s Global Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) and the EOC Network, a global network of...
02 December 2018
5 December 2018 – Early analysis of campaign data points to a successful vaccination round in a polio-free country at risk of possible importation. In the last week of October, Djibouti’s Ministry of Health, working with WHO, UNICEF and other partners, successfully carried out the country’s first polio National Immunization Days...
29 November 2018
29 November, 2018 – At around midnight on 24 November 2018, WHO received unconfirmed reports of patients arriving in health facilities in Aleppo with symptoms that might be consistent with exposure to chemical agents. At approximately the same time, the United Nations Department of Safety and Security office in Syria...
22 November 2018
22 November 2018 – Despite international laws and UN Security Council resolutions condemning violence against health workers and medical facilities, attacks in the Eastern Mediterranean Region continue with disturbing regularity. More than 534 attacks on health care have been reported across six countries and territories in the Eastern Mediterranean Region in...
16 October 2018
With more than two-thirds of all countries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region directly or indirectly affected by political conflict, natural disasters and other public health threats, emergencies is high on this year’s agenda for the 65th session of the Regional Committee. 1 / 8 The region bears a heavy burden: Political conflict,...
19 August 2018
Despite condemnations from WHO and health partners, attacks on health care in the Eastern Mediterranean continue with alarming regularity. On World Humanitarian Day, we reiterate our stand with health workers and all people affected by conflict. 1 / 6 Oum Ali, mother of 5-year old Basma from Ar-Raqqa governorate, Syria, says, “I...
07 June 2018
Pale and speaking breathlessly, Jenan Sabea describes the horrific pain she felt in her stomach 2 weeks ago which prompted her being rushed to hospital. “I was screaming, crying. I was kicking on the floor, kicking hard,” she says. Jenan called an ambulance which transferred her to the Salaheddin General...
16 March 2018
More than 11.3 million Syrians are in need of health assistance, including almost 3 million people living in besieged or hard-to-reach areas. WHO delivered 14 million medical treatments to people in need in 2017, including 3 million treatments delivered cross-border. More than two-thirds of besieged areas were reached with health aid...
18 January 2018
SANA’A, 18 January 2018 — The World Health Organization has delivered 200 tonnes of life-saving medicines and health supplies to Yemen. Four United Nations planes carrying the cargo landed in Sana’a Airport this week. The shipments include essential medicines, insulin vials, antibiotics, rabies vaccines, intravenous (IV) fluids, and other medical supplies...
26 December 2017
As host to some of the world’s biggest emergencies, the Eastern Mediterranean Region carries the largest burden of people in need of aid, with more than 76 million people directly or indirectly affected by political conflict, environmental threats, and natural disasters. In 2017, Syria entered into its 7th year of conflict...
23 November 2017
WHO has developed a new health kit to support treatment for chronic disease patients in emergency settings. Three years after the kit’s conceptualization, the first shipment of 6 kits, enough for 60 000 medical treatments, has been delivered cross-border from Turkey to northern Syria. 23 November 2017, Cairo, Egypt – In countries...
16 November 2017
16 November 2017, Cairo, Egypt – WHO has airlifted trauma kits and medical supplies to the Islamic Republic of Iran to support the treatment of thousands people injured as a result of the recent earthquake in the Islamic Republic of Iran-Iraq border region. The supplies, enough to provide surgical care for...
18 August 2017
18 August 2017 – Despite condemnations from WHO and health partners, attacks on health care in the Eastern Mediterranean have not decreased this year over last. In the first 3 months of 2017, more than 152 attacks on health care were reported from 9 countries in the Region, compared to 57 attacks...
16 August 2017
16 August 2017 – As millions of people in Somalia remain trapped in a devastating cycle of hunger and disease, WHO and health partners are working with national health authorities to save lives and reach the most vulnerable with essential health services. More than 2 years of insufficient rainfall and poor harvests...
08 June 2017
Increasing numbers of South Sudanese men, women and children fleeing conflict and food insecurity are seeking refuge in Sudan, overstretching basic services, including health services. WHO supports national health authorities and works with partners to respond to the needs of these refugees and to ensure they are protected against life-threatening...
17 May 2017
Six years into the war in Syria, more than 300 000 people have been tragically killed and more than 1.5 million people injured. As the violence continues, a staggering 30 000 people sustain war-related injuries every month. Overwhelming numbers of critically wounded patients, acute shortages of staff, and damaged or destroyed...
10 May 2017
WHO has significantly scaled up its presence and activities in Somalia to respond to increasing health needs and prevent a worst-case scenario for millions of people at risk of famine, but resources are urgently required to enable the necessary interventions. Out of a total of US$ 825 million appealed for...
08 May 2017
8 March 2017 – A mission was conducted by WHO technical teams in Islamic Republic of Iran from 22 to 27 April 2017 to assess and assist the country’s emergency medical team system with the purpose of strengthening the response capacity across all-hazard emergencies. The mission brought together different stakeholders to...
07 April 2017
7 April 2017 – The World Health Organization welcomes the support shown by countries and donors participating in the “Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region” conference in Brussels on 4-6 April, during which more than US$ 6 billion was pledged to provide humanitarian aid to people affected by...
15 March 2017
Six years of crisis in Syria have taken a dramatic toll on the health of the Syrian people and the health system that serves them. Since the beginning of the conflict, WHO has been working with health authorities and partners to ensure that critical care is available to those who...
15 January 2017
The Eastern Mediterranean Region saw continued deterioration of the humanitarian and health situation in 2016. By December, more than 62 million people were in need of urgent, life-saving and effective health care across the Region. Despite many challenges and setbacks, WHO and its partners managed to deliver much needed assistance...
30 December 2016
30 December 2016 – Lack of funding for heath in Sudan has resulted in the closure of 11 health facilities and left another 49 facilities at risk of closure, impacting around a million people, including 323 000 women of childbearing age and children under 5 who will lack access to maternal/child...
04 December 2016
4 December 2016 – WHO has successfully delivered life-saving medicines and medical supplies inside Mosul city. The shipment, enough to treat almost 13 000 patients, includes chronic disease medicines, antibiotics, medicines and supplies to treat trauma injuries. Reproductive health items were provided by the United Nations Population Fund. Urgent medical services for...
29 November 2016
29 November 2016 - More than 73 000 people from Mosul and neighbouring areas in Iraq have been displaced as a result of the ongoing conflict since 17 October. The majority of those displaced are currently hosted in Ninewa governorate, where health services are overwhelmed. As the conflict in Mosul reaches...
24 November 2016
23 November 2016, Erbil, Iraq – As military operations into Mosul continue, WHO is working with national health authorities to ensure that people with war-related trauma injuries have access to live-saving medical care. WHO anticipates that approximately 40 000 civilians will require care for trauma injuries as a result of Mosul...
Civilians caught in the cross-fire: WHO supports trauma care services for people in and around Mosul
09 November 2016
9 November 2016 – The stories of civilians caught in the cross-fire in and around Mosul are heartbreaking and horrific. WHO is ensuring that life-saving health services are available to injured people, supporting the tireless work of the Erbil Directorate of Health to provide emergency medical care to all those who...
31 October 2016
31 October 2016 – 15-year-old Zainab was suffering from severe suffocation when her family brought her in to the main primary health care clinic in Al-Qayyarah town, south-east of Mosul. Asthmatic since birth, Zainab was having trouble breathing as a result of the sulfur fumes from the burning Mishraq sulfur plant....
10 October 2016
Natural disasters and political conflict across the Eastern Mediterranean Region have increased the need for mental health services, especially for those who have been exposed to or witnessed acts of violence, or those have been forcibly displaced. In total, more than 62 million people in the region are affected by...
04 October 2016
4 October 2016 – 3-year old Khalid* was badly injured when he was brought into the hospital. He was walking in the street when a blast erupted, destroying buildings around him and trapping him under the rubble. He was found by passers by, who took him and tens of other injured...
02 October 2016
2 October 2016 – Since the beginning of the conflict in Syria, civilians have been denied access to life-saving and basic services, including health services, in specific areas inside the country. As of July 2016, the number of people in need living in hard-to-reach and besieged areas is 5.47 million people,...
25 September 2016
25 September 2016 – War, conflict and persecution have forced millions of people to flee their homes and seek refuge and safety elsewhere. As of 2015, there were 250 million international migrants, of which 150 million are migrant workers. Also affected are particularly vulnerable groups of refugees (21.3 million) and...
18 September 2016
18 September 2016 - In August 2016, Somalia marked two years since its last case of wild poliovirus, a child from Hobyo District of Mudug region who was paralyzed on 11 August 2014. Since then, no new cases of wild poliovirus have been reported. This major achievement was made possible...
18 August 2016
18 August 2016 – At least twice a week for the past few months, we have had to condemn attacks on hospitals and clinics in several countries of the Region. With each statement I read about innocent lives lost and health facilities destroyed, and my dismay and despair grow. Despite...
18 August 2016
18 August 2016 – #ProtectHealthWorkers is a campaign by WHO focusing on health workers and health facilities, highlighting the challenges and risks they face every day, and monitoring their safety, making sure they remain protected and unharmed. Syria is now the most dangerous country in the world for health workers. The number...
17 August 2016
5 August 2016 – Dr Hatem Abu Yazan, the General Director of the Children’s Specialised Hospital in Al Shaa’ar in eastern Aleppo City, was on duty in the hospital’s neonatal section on the first floor when he heard the sound of an airstrike. It was a sound that he was used...
17 July 2016
First marked in 2001, World Refugee Day is held every year on 20 June. War and persecution have displaced and forced more than 60 million people to flee their homes and seek safety elsewhere. Half of the world's refugees are from WHO's Eastern Mediterranean Region. WHO is concerned about the health...
03 July 2016
31 May 2016 - The World Health Organization is scaling up preparedness and response activities to control a potential outbreak of dengue fever in Yemen. According to the Ministry of Public Health and Population’s integrated disease surveillance system, almost 11 900 suspected cases of dengue fever were reported from January...