Photo caption: Thaer Al-Ali at BASMA Association in Rural Damascus, Syria providing healthcare for a young cancer patient. 1 September 2024, Damascus, Syria –Thaer Al-Ali is a nurse at the BASMA Association in Syria’s Rural Damascus governorate. He is part of a team caring for children with cancer.

“Every day starts early. By the time I arrive at work the weight of the day’s responsibilities are already pressing on me. The first task is a debriefing meeting with colleagues during which we discuss the patients’ conditions and treatment plans. We care for children with life-threatening illnesses and the meeting is crucial to prepare for the day ahead.

“I witness heart-wrenching cases. We provide both medical care and emotional support for patients and their families.

“Few people understand the dangers health care workers face in Syria. Sometimes we risk our lives to do our jobs.

“Between 2014 and 2018 I used to commute to Al-Biruni University Hospital in Harasta, one of Rural Damascus’s more dangerous areas. Each day I had to decide whether I would stay home, in which case I would have been neglecting my patients, or risk my life by going to work, fully aware of the dangers posed by snipers and gunfire. Sadly, it was common to hear about colleagues being injured or killed while commuting to or from the hospital. Every morning, I felt uncertain. Yes, I might make it to work today but tomorrow could be a different story.

“Despite the constant fear, we never stopped. I was there to assist the patients, especially the children, overcome their illnesses. It was their courage, their smiles, their simple words of ‘thank you’ that helped me through the tough times. The atmosphere was emotional, filled with reassurance and love. Losing a child during treatment is like losing part of your soul.

“I remember taking a young girl to surgery. Her mother, who was at the hospital entrance, was hit by shrapnel from a mortar. We were shocked to see the mother being rushed in instead. Thankfully, both the girl and her mother survived. These are the stories we lived through.

“Today, the situation in Syria has improved but the economic crisis is severe. Many people struggle to afford the basics needed to survive. I am grateful that we can provide free treatment, supported by health partners like WHO.

“Being a nurse in Syria is more than a profession, it is a mission to bring hope and healing to those in need, no matter the circumstances. We are defined by our dedication, which drives us every day in this resilient nation where hope is often the only medicine on offer.”

Abu Sary is pictured with WHO staff in July 2024 during the 2nd round of the Big Catch-up vaccination activity in Al-Saan health center, Suqaylabiyah, Hama Governorate.27 August 2024, Damascus, Syria – On 28 May 2024, delegates of the Seventy-seventh World Health Assembly took part in a special high-level event to celebrate 50 years of immunization progress – honouring achievements, embracing innovation and envisioning the future. The event was to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI).

As WHO marks this milestone, it is important to acknowledge the health worker heroes who have worked tirelessly to protect public health. One such hero is Abu Sary, from Salamiyah, Hama, Syria. His lifelong dedication to vaccinating the children of Bedouin tribes has significantly improved health in his community.

Born into a Bedouin family, Abu Sary has always understood the unique challenges of his people. After graduating in 1967, Abu Sary joined the health department in Salamiyah. His purpose was clear: to bring to the nomadic Bedouin families the essential health services they often missed out on.

From 1967 to 2004, Abu Sary worked with mobile vaccination teams. He educated Bedouin families about the importance of vaccination, facilitated their access to public services and earned their trust. This trust was crucial to his mission to ensure that children received the essential vaccinations they needed.

Abu Sary consistently went above and beyond his duties. Each week, he would travel with mobile vaccination teams to Bedouin areas on Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays, often staying overnight to ensure that all vaccines were administered. On Monday evenings, he returned to Salamiyah to refill his car with fuel and collect more vaccines, before continuing to visit different Bedouin areas until Thursday. His commitment to working away from home showed his deep dedication to the health of the Bedouin people, who trusted him as one of their own.

After retiring in 2004, Abu Sary remained an influential figure in vaccination promotion in Salamiyah and the surrounding deserts of Hama, Homs and Ar-Raqqa. For many years, he continued to know the vaccination status of every Bedouin child, and he would help mobilize community members for vaccination activities.

In 2024, Abu Sary supported the Big Catch-Up vaccination activities conducted in April and July, which reached and screened the vaccination status of more than 26 000 children aged under 5 years across Syria. His efforts directly helped to vaccinate more than 160 zero-dose children in the Salamiyah area, most of them living in remote and high-risk areas.

Today, Abu Sary’s daughter is pursuing a career in health care that involves administering vaccinations, inspired by her father’s commitment to the cause. His enduring influence ensures that his mission to protect public health continues.

Abu Sary’s efforts have saved numerous lives, and his story exemplifies how one individual can truly make a difference through commitment and service. Abu Sary is not only a health worker, but also an immunization hero.

Photo caption: Emad Shehab actively engaging with community members during a cholera awareness campaign in Al-Ashara, Deir-ez-Zor Governorate, Syria, 2023. Photo credit: @WHO

19 August 2024, Damascus, Syria – Emad Shehab, killed after a building collapsed following an airstrike in his hometown Deir-ez-Zor, was a public health emergency specialist and engineer whose expertise and dedication served as an inspiration to everyone who worked with him.

"Emad was a dedicated professional whose commitment greatly impacted our response in Syria. We deeply feel his loss, and his legacy continues to inspire our work. We are committed to carrying on the vital work he championed and honouring his memory,” said Dr Iman Shankiti, WHO Representative a.i in Syria.

Emad started working at WHO in 2022 as a water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) focal point in Deir-ez-Zor. His expertise led to critical improvements in WASH conditions at health facilities where he spearheaded vital water quality monitoring efforts and addressed significant public health hazards. Imad’s leadership in installing solid waste treatment units at Al Assad Hospital and Al-Hamidiya Health Centre was crucial in mitigating epidemic risks, making significant contributions to public health and environmental safety in challenging circumstances.

"Emad was a loving and caring husband and father of two children, Jad, 4, and Sham, 9. Even now Jad asks me 'when will Dad come back from his trip? I miss him so much,' and I don't know how to reply," says Imad's widow Om Jad.

"My daughter Sham had a special relationship with her father. She watched him prepare blueprints for projects and she started to draw sketches of his work. He always supported and guided her. Now that he has passed away, she wants to be like her dad when she grows up so he can be proud of her."

Emad earned a bachelor’s degree in architectural engineering from Aleppo University in 2004. Before joining WHO, he gained extensive experience in engineering and project management, working with FAO, WFP, UNICEF and several NGOs on the construction and rehabilitation of water stations and sanitation facilities.

Emad showed unwavering devotion to his work and his family. His exemplary approach to humanitarian work and human relationships left a lasting impact on everyone he encountered, whether acquaintances or strangers. As Imad’s dedication and compassion continue to inspire us, we will honour his memory by carrying forward the vital work he was so passionate about. His loss is deeply felt by all of us who were fortunate enough to know him.

Door-to-door distribution of permethrin cream in camps as part of the scabies response in north-west Syria. Photo credit: © Al-Sham Humanitarian Foundation 4 August 2024 – In north-west Syria, lack of sanitation services, compounded by limited water supply and overcrowding, creates the ideal conditions for infectious diseases to spread. Scabies is among the infections of concern in north-west Syria, especially in densely populated camps as it is transmitted person to person through close skin contact.

WHO collaborated with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and Health and WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) Cluster partners to launch a permethrin-based mass drug administration on 16 July 2024. This large-scale response to scabies has been made possible thanks to financial support from European Union Humanitarian Aid.

Community health workers raise awareness among families living in camps on how to treat and prevent scabies. Photo credit: © Al-Sham Humanitarian Foundation The campaign will last for 21 days and target more than 180 000 people in 71 camps and 7 communities. Partners have also distributed UNICEF-procured hygiene kits and trained community workers and hygiene promoters in how to treat scabies and prevent its further spread.

“In north-west Syria, an estimated 2 million people are living in overcrowded camps with poor living conditions. This presents a huge risk for the spread of scabies. We are very grateful to the European Union for its support in helping to curb the spread of scabies through this mass drug distribution,” said Ms Rosa Crestani, Team Lead for the WHO Field Presence Office in Gaziantep, Türkiye.

UNICEF-procured hygiene kits are distributed as part of the scabies response in north-west Syria. Photo credit: © Al-Sham Humanitarian Foundation WHO carried out a comprehensive scabies community survey exercise in north-west Syria in December 2023. This revealed a high prevalence of scabies, surpassing the 10% community transmission threshold set by WHO, with higher rates reported in camps.

People living in camps were found to be 7 times more likely to contract scabies than people living in the wider community. Children and elderly people living in resource-poor areas and people with compromised immune systems are at higher risk of infection.