06 Avril 2025

23 March 2025, Cairo, Egypt – On 12 March 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO)classified the Saudi Disaster Medical Assistance Team (SDMAT) as an Emergency Medical Team (EMT) Type 2. The classification reflects SDMAT’s unwavering dedication and exceptional capabilities in disaster response and emergency medical care. The announcement followed a rigorous final verification visit to Riyadh. From 10 to 12 March 2025, SDMAT underwent peer-to-peer assessments by 3 independent verifiers from classified EMTs in Spain (START EMT2), Japan (JDR) and Italy (ITA EMT2 – Toscana), and evaluations from the EMT Focal...

19 Mars 2025

The challenge in Iraq Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a severe viral disease that can be transmitted to humans through the bite of infected ticks or contact with the blood and tissue of infected animals. The disease is characterized by fever, muscle aches, headache and bleeding and has a high fatality rate, ranging from 10%–40%. In Iraq, CCHF is a significant public health concern. Cases have been reported sporadically since 1979 and there has been a steady increase in recent years due to factors that include climate change, changes in agricultural...

05 Mars 2025

4 March 2025, Cairo, Egypt – In an increasingly interconnected world facing a growing number of complex health emergencies, strengthening global health security is vital. To address this critical need, the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean convened a subregional workshop in Cairo from 11 to 13 February 2025 focused on enhancing understanding and implementation of the recently amended International Health Regulations (IHR) (2005). The workshop brought together key representatives, including national IHR focal points and WHO country office staff from the countries of the Gulf Cooperation...

26 Février 2025

26 February 2025, Aden, Yemen – An infodemic is when too much information, including false and misleading information, circulates in digital and physical environments during a disease outbreak. Infodemics can cause confusion and risk-taking behaviours that can harm health, lead to mistrust in health authorities and undermine the public health response. To address the challenges posed by infodemics, the World Health Organization (WHO) Yemen Country Office, in collaboration with the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean and the Ministry of Health in Aden, conducted a comprehensive training on social listening...

20 Octobre 2024

27 September 2024, Salalah, Oman – Strengthening global health security requires a coordinated response to public health emergencies. Recognizing this, the World Health Organization's Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean conducted a subregional training workshop in Salalah, Oman, focused on enhancing the capacities of national International Health Regulations (IHR) focal points. Held from 22 to 26 September 2024, the training brought together 27 participants from 7 countries – Iraq, Libya, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, the Syrian Arab Republic and Yemen – alongside WHO country office representatives and regional experts. The workshop aimed...

15 Septembre 2024

15 September 2024, Cairo, Egypt – Protecting communities from chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) threats requires constant vigilance and preparedness. In a proactive move, the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, in partnership with the WHO Country Office in Egypt and the Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population, held a series of hands-on training workshops in Ismailia, Egypt with the goal of equipping health care workers and first responders with the skills and knowledge needed to handle CBRN emergencies. From 23 to 27 June 2024, medical staff...

13 Juin 2024

The World Health Organization (WHO) has developed a list of recommendations that each pilgrim should follow. These recommendations are in line with the health requirements set by the health authorities in Saudi Arabia for pilgrims in the Hajj season this year.  Physical ability, chronic diseases and health education WHO recommends that authorities at pilgrims’ countries of origin should take into account that a pilgrim should have minimum physical ability for Hajj. It also alerts to the high risk of infectious diseases in older people and those with severe chronic diseases such as...

11 Janvier 2024

19 December 2023 – In Muscat, Oman, the World Health Organization (WHO) initiated a pivotal workshop aimed at enhancing Oman's ability to detect and respond to chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) emergencies with a special focus on clinical management. The workshop, featuring the participation of 62 national experts, including healthcare professionals (Emergency Department, physicians, nurses, technicians) and stakeholders from sectors beyond health, was designed to bolster the country's surveillance and response frameworks for CBRN events. Over the course of three days, the professionals engaged in comprehensive sessions to refine strategies for...

09 Janvier 2024

10 February 2023 – In early February 2023, the Ministry of Health in Kuwait, with the support of the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean and Centre for Environmental Health Action, hosted a training workshop aimed at strengthening national capacities in detecting and responding to radio-nuclear emergencies, with a special focus on the clinical management of radiation injuries. The purpose of this four-day workshop, spanning from 6 to 9 February, was multifaceted. It aimed to educate national experts on the intricate aspects of managing radio-nuclear emergencies and...

27 Décembre 2018

27 December 2018 ─ “We must work together to make the world better prepared for health emergencies by measurably improving the resilience of our health systems,’’ was the core message conveyed from Regional Director Dr Ahmed Al-Mandhari to participants at the seventh regional stakeholders meeting to review the Implementation of International Health Regulations (2005), held in Kuwait from 18 to 20 December. The message was delivered by Dr Rana Hajjeh, Acting Director of Programme Management at the WHO Regional Office, during the opening of the meeting. Over 100 participants attended, including representatives...

04 Décembre 2018

4 December 2018 – Six countries in WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean and African Regions have signed a declaration committing themselves to strengthening preparedness and response to public health threats and events across borders in an effort to further the implementation of the International Health Regulations (IHR 2005) and enhance global health security. The Khartoum Declaration on Sudan and Bordering Countries: Cross-Border Health Security was signed by Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, Libya, South Sudan and Sudan on 22 November 2018 in Khartoum, Sudan. Read more

31 Octobre 2018

31 October 2018 – Over 60 representatives from various public and private institutions in Qatar worked closely with a technical team from the WHO Regional Office for Eastern Mediterranean in country health emergency preparedness and the International Health Regulations (IHR 2005) to accelerate efforts to finalize the national action plan for health security in Doha between 21 and 24 October 2018. The 4-day workshop represented an excellent opportunity to conduct a multisectoral review of Qatar’s progress following the joint external evaluation (JEE) completed in mid-2016. Working in groups based on their related...