11 April 2021

9 April 2021 - Amidst a decade-long conflict, economic crisis and political upheaval, WHO continues to support strengthening public health programmes and implementation of immunization activities, national polio vaccination campaigns and surveillance for acute flaccid paralysis. In the middle of March 2021, a national polio immunization campaign concluded, reaching 2.5 million children under the age of five in all 14 governorates of Syria, including high-risk areas of the eastern Euphrates, refugee and IDP camps, and nomadic areas. “Since Syria is close to countries that are at high risk of polio outbreaks, it...

08 April 2021

Reflection of Michael Atieh, WHO Syrian Arab Republic country office staff member 8 April 2021 - Children go running around playing with each other daily without a worry in mind. They play in the sand, dirt, mud and wherever else their imaginative young minds take them. However, consequences arise when improper sanitation is part of a child’s daily routine. Since these children are young and may not be attentive, they become the most likely victims of intestinal worms. These intestinal worms are transmitted by worm’s eggs present in human faeces, which...

07 April 2021

7 April 2021 – The COVID-19 pandemic has devastated us all. However, the harshest impact has been on people already experiencing inequities because of poverty, gender, ethnicity, education, occupation, migrant status, disability, and discrimination. In conflict-hit Syria, people are disproportionately vulnerable to exposure to the disease in the context of fragile health systems, they lack access to health services and are heavily impacted by economic consequences of the pandemic. Access to COVID-19 vaccines to reduce ongoing transmission is yet another mammoth task for Syria.  COVID-19 is not the only health issue that...

29 March 2021

24 March 2021 – A few months ago, I visited Damascus, Homs and Hama, witnessing firsthand the devastating impact of the decade-long conflict and the resulting humanitarian crisis, now worsened by COVID-19. While there, I met frontline workers who continue to brave dangerous working conditions to save lives. I spoke to parents desperate for a better future for their children. In Damascus, I visited a WHO-rehabilitated emergency wing of a hospital which treats hundreds of children daily, suffering burns, injuries and life-threatening infections. Nonetheless, I was struck by the resilience and positive spirit...

17 March 2021

29 March 2021 – On 25 March 2021, the COVAX Facility informed that deliveries of doses from the Serum Institute of India (SII) to Syria, including northwest Syria, will be delayed in March and April, and that the closest delivery date may be in May 2021. Delays in securing supplies of SII-produced COVID-19 vaccine doses to Syria as well as to several other countries are due to the increased demand for COVID-19 vaccines in India. COVAX is the vaccines pillar of the ACT-Accelerator [1], an instrument jointly convened by the Coalition for Epidemic...

16 March 2021

16 March 2021 – Exactly 10 years after the conflict in Syria began, new challenges have emerged, perpetuating the suffering of Syrian people already exhausted by the ongoing conflict, violence, political fragility, and the burden of unmet socioeconomic needs. COVID-19 and the regional economic crisis have brought further devastation to individuals and communities all over Syria. Given the fragility of the situation, the capacity of the health system is likely to fall short of a successful response to COVID-19 and global efforts to stop its transmission.  With over 90% of the population...

09 February 2021

9 February, Damascus, Syria – WHO Syria and the Government of Japan sealed a strategic agreement to rehabilitate and renovate the Al-Qamishli National Hospital in Al-Hassakeh Governorate of Syria. By signing the agreement, the Government of Japan has demonstrated its continuous commitment to reviving the Syrian health system fatigued by the decade-long crisis. The generous US$ 6 million grant will assist in renewing the 40-year-old infrastructure of the hospital, while revamping secondary health care services at a hospital that serves as the main referral centre for many areas in north-east Syria. Once the hospital is renovated, health workers and doctors with...

09 February 2021

27 January 2021 – The raging war in Syria has taken its toll on the country, its citizens and infrastructure.  During the decade-long crisis a lot of health facilities endured destruction. According to the WHO Health Resources and Services Availability Monitoring System (HeRAMS) for September 2020, about 51% of Syria’s hospitals as well as 52% of public health centres were either completely out-of-service or partially functional. Consequently, vulnerable communities were deprived of their fundamental right to have access to quality health care. As a lead agency advocating for health for all...

24 January 2021

22 December 2020, Damascus, Syria – Dr Akjemal Magtymova, WHO Representative in Syria, along with Dr Ahmad Khleifawi, Syrian Deputy Minister of Health, chaired a meeting for national and international health sector partners to review the findings of the recent Intra-Action Review (IAR) meeting, improve the current strategies and strengthen the collective response to COVID-19.   Earlier in December 2020, WHO and the Ministry of Health organized a multisectoral IAR meeting to identify best practices, gaps and challenges in addressing the COVID-19 emergency in Syria. The 3-day meeting provided a unique platform to discuss major COVID-19 response pillars and established a base for strengthening...

08 November 2020

8 November 2020 – I recently returned from a 4-day mission to Syria, where I met with officials at all levels, health workers, partners, academia, and others to learn more about the overall health situation, find new ways of working together to strengthen service delivery, protect Syrians from current threats, and help strengthen the devastated health system. I met frontline health workers and patients in Damascus, Homs and Hama, including 6-year-old Jaafar, who depends on dialysis sessions 3 times a week at a WHO-supported NGO-run health care centre in Homs to...

25 October 2020

24 October 2020, Damascus, Syria – A chartered aircraft has landed in Damascus International Airport from the WHO's logistics hub in Dubai, carrying WHO supplies to support the health response in Syria. The 8.8-ton shipment includes medical kits and medicines for almost 2000 beneficiaries and enough personal protective equipment to protect more than 4000 health care workers. “Health care workers are the backbone of any health system, and protecting them is protection for us all,” said Dr Al-Mandhari, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Region, who handed over the supplies...

14 October 2020

14 October 2020, Syrian Arab Republic – Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, movement restrictions and lockdowns can have as much of a negative impact on people as the virus transmission itself. Patients needing mental health services are most affected, especially those struggling to access treatment at a health care facility. In Syria, 75% of people with mental health conditions receive no treatment at all, and the current pandemic is further aggravating the situation. “There is no health without mental health. We live in an environment where mental health needs are greater than...

28 August 2020

Damascus: August 27, 2020 – WHO confirmed today the first COVID-19 case among residents in Syria’s Al Hol camp. The female patient is 29 years old and in stable condition. She is being treated in an isolation area in Phase 7 of the camp, where a national NGO, in partnership with WHO, is providing case management support. Health workers have already begun contact tracing and will be monitoring all close contacts for COVID-19 symptoms. WHO is collaborating with camp authorities and partners to engage communities, reinforcing messages about measures that they...

30 June 2020

Within the context of the Brussels conference on Syria, WHO emphasizes that health is a human right that must be respected by all parties to the conflict, that attacks on health workers and facilities must stop, and that there must be adequate investments in the health sector 30 June 2020 – As the crisis in Syria enters its tenth year, WHO calls on parties to the conflict and the international donor community to put the health and well-being of the Syrian people first. Sustained access via all modalities and sufficient resources...

29 June 2020

More than 210 000 children under the age of 5 across Syria catch up on their vaccines Damascus, 29 June 2020 – With an aim to maintain vital routine immunization services amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a national immunization campaign supported by WHO and UNICEF has concluded across Syria. During the 5-day campaign, implemented by the Syrian Ministry of Health, health workers checked the vaccination status of more than 900 000 children and vaccinated more than 210 100 children to ensure they are caught up with the routine immunization schedule. Over 1000...

01 June 2020

1 June 2020 — The World Health Organization (WHO) has delivered 20 tons of medical supplies to Al-Qamishli in northeast Syria, the second delivery of its kind in 2 weeks. The supplies will be distributed to public health facilities in Al-Hasakeh, Ar-Raqqa and Deir-Ez-Zor governorates. The 2 shipments contain equipment and medical supplies to treat many diseases, including COVID-19. The delivery also included basic and mobile X-ray machines, intensive care beds and hospital beds, operating tables, incubators, oxygen concentrator, cholera kits, wheelchairs and a diesel generator. “During the last 2 weeks, WHO delivered...

07 May 2020

7 May 2020 – WHO welcomes Dr Akjemal Magtymova as incoming WHO Representative to the Syrian Arab Republic. Dr Magtymova joins WHO Syria at a critical time, with multiple public health threats threatening the well-being of millions of Syrians. An outbreak of COVID-19 in the country has placed additional pressure on a health system ravaged by years of war. “I am delighted to join the WHO Syria team to support its mission. What we do is noble, and I have no doubt that it is driven by this team’s passion to...

19 April 2020

19 April 2020 - Generous funding from the Government of Norway during the last 4 years has enabled WHO to reach more than 1.4 million beneficiaries in Syria and improve their access to primary health care services through 40 nongovernmental organization partners. From 2016 to 2019, Norway provided flexible funding to WHO Syria totalling more than US$ 34 million. Of this, nearly US$ 2.7 million was directed to national NGOs operating within the health sector, allowing WHO to scale up its interventions across the country and access hard-to-reach areas. “Norway has been...

02 April 2020

2 April 2020 – The World Health Organization (WHO) is working closely with the Syrian Ministry of Health to enhance Syria’s preparedness and response to COVID-19.  WHO’s support focuses on 4 main priorities: enhancing surveillance and expanding laboratory testing for early detection of cases; protecting health care workers by providing them with protective equipment; ensuring proper case management, isolation and contact tracing; and raising awareness and conducting risk communication. “WHO classifies Syria as among the high-risk countries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, as a result of challenges in the health system resulting from over 9 years...

09 March 2020

Every 4 days in 2019, a health facility in Syria was attacked. A majority occurred in the northwest, where the world‘s most urgent humanitarian crisis continues to unfold. March 2020, Geneva/Copenhagen/Cairo – The World Health Organization condemns in the strongest terms, attacks on health care that have been a hallmark of the complex humanitarian crisis in Syria that this month enters its tenth year. “The data we can now reveal on attacks on health in Syria is a grim testament to a blatant disrespect for international humanitarian law and the lives...

05 March 2020

5 March 2020, Damascus - The World Health Organization (WHO) categorically refutes the misinformation circulating on social media that has been falsely accredited to WHO related to COVID-19 in Syria. As per a statement by the Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean published on Tuesday 3 March, 2020, "1682 cases of Covid-19 disease in 14 countries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, as of 2 March, at 6 pm local time in the city of Cairo, including 66 reported deaths in Islamic Republic of Iran.” Syria is not among these 14 countries. WHO...

28 February 2020

WHO provides more than 225 000 courses of treatment to internally displaced Syrians in Idlib and Aleppo 28 February 2020, Geneva/Copenhagen/Cairo – In a two-day operation the World Health Organization sent 55 tons of medicine and medical supplies in 7 trucks from Turkey into Idlib governorate and parts of Aleppo. Since December 2019 the area has witnessed the largest exodus of internally displaced Syrians in the 9-year history of the Syria conflict. “This is the bleakest situation we’ve been in since the war started. Peoplehave no idea where to go, they only...

17 February 2020

17 February 2020 – WHO handed over 6 equipped ambulances to the Ministries of Health and Higher Education thanks to a generous donation from the Government of Japan. These ambulances are a vital boost to WHO’s efforts to support emergency and ambulance services with a view to improving the health outcomes of internally displaced people and local communities in south and northwest Syria, especially mothers and children, through reducing avoidable morbidity and mortality. In addition to the ambulances and as part of this same initiative, the Japanese Government is also providing 2 mobile...

10 February 2020

10 February 2020 – WHO welcomes the generous support from the Government of Japan to conducted training courses for Ministry of Health and Ministry of Higher Education engineers through the “ Training for All – (T4A)” project on acquiring the know-how in installing and maintaining lifesaving and state of-the-art medical equipment at health facilities inside Syria. “Equipping health facilities with the right technology while building the teams’ technical skills will undoubtedly have a sustainable impact on the quality of medical services provision for years to come” said Dr Nima Abid, acting WHO Representative in Syria....

03 February 2020

3 February 2020, Geneva-Cairo-Copenhagen – The World Health Organization raises alarm over critical health threats facing hundreds of thousands of Syrians forced to flee due to intensified hostilities in northwest Syria and attacks on health care. Fighting in Idleb governorate, the last area in the country under opposition-control, has intensified in recent weeks and past days have seen unprecedented mass displacement. Since 1 December more than half a million people or nearly 520 000, are thought to have fled the violence. On average, WHO and its partners reach 800 000 people in northwest Syria every month – but the situation on...

21 January 2020

21 January 2020 – WHO welcomes a new contribution of $3 million from the Russian Federation to support the provision of health care services for vulnerable people in the Syrian governorates of Dar'a, Deir-ez-Zor, Homs and Qunitera. “We are extremely grateful for Russia’s generous contribution which has come as a major step towards reviving the availability of health care services to all people in need,” said Dr Nima Abid, acting WHO Representative in Syria. "Restoring the provision of health care services is a key building block for encouraging the return of displaced...

17 December 2019

17 December 2019, Damascus, Syria – In the crowded reception area of the Disability and Physical Rehabilitation Centre in Damascus, 13-year old Ali from Ar-Raqqa governorate waits for his name to be called. His father Jaseem waits patiently with him, optimistic that his son will receive the best possible treatment. Ali was injured during a bombardment of his area of Ein Issa city in north-east Syria two years ago while helping his father in their small shop. Shrapnel hit his leg and he was rushed to hospital, where doctors had...

08 December 2019

8 December 2019, Damascus — On the occasion of World AIDS Day (1 December) and under the slogan ”My health needs under one roof; integrating HIV health services,” WHO, in cooperation with the Syrian Ministry of Health, called for more concerted action to prevent HIV and highlighted global obligations to provide people living with HIV the life-saving treatment they need in a manner that respects their dignity and human rights.

14 October 2019

13 October, Cairo, Egypt — WHO is gravely concerned about the humanitarian health situation in northeast Syria, where up to 200,000 people have been displaced as a result of increased military operations since 9 October, and almost 1.5 million people are in need of health aid. Many of those affected by the recent hostilities have already experienced immense physical and mental stress as a result of years of conflict and repeated displacement. People in need of essential health care services face challenges related to insecurity and limited access to health care....

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 in the camp. While health needs in both the Annex – which houses foreign nationals - and the rest of the camp remain acute, overall mortality rates have been within international standards since April 2019; under-5 mortality rates have remained...

12 September 2019

12 September 2019 – The World Health Organization (WHO) extends its gratitude to the People of Japan for the generous donation of US$ 5.2 million allocated to equipping the paediatric hospital in the Aleppo governorate and enabling vulnerable families in north, north-west and north-east Syria to have access to proper medical health care services for children. This donation is part of the new Japanese project for the early recovery of East Aleppo, to be implemented  in cooperation with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), and WHO with a...

20 August 2019

20 August 2019 – 32-year-old Bayan is the head nurse at Al-Hikmah hospital in Al-Hasakeh governorate. She has spent the past 8 years in critical care, looking after emergency, trauma and intensive care patients. “Nursing is immensely fulfilling”, she says. “People are admitted in a critical condition, and you nurse them back to health. You accompany them on their journey: you rejoice with them when they make progress, you encourage them when there are setbacks, and you let them express their fears and frustrations. Not all of them do so...

14 July 2019

14 July 2019 – When Elizabeth Hoff was appointed as WHO Representative in Syria in 2012, she didn’t expect that she would spend the next several years leading the emergency health response in what has been described as the world’s largest and most complex humanitarian emergency. After seven years of working in the war-ravaged country, the next chapter of her career will take her to Libya, where she has been nominated WHO Representative. “I leave Syria with a heavy heart,” she says. “This has been the richest and most rewarding position...

01 July 2019

1 July 2019 – WHO has successfully evacuated a 60-year-old female patient with a mental disorder from Al Hol camp in north-east Syria to a WHO-supported psychiatric hospital in Aleppo.

17 June 2019

17 June 2019, Damascus, Syria – With support from WHO, a team of senior medical specialists from the Bambino Gesú hospital in Rome (the largest paediatric hospital in Italy) has just concluded a one-week visit to Syria to work with their counterparts in the Paediatric Hospital in Damascus. The team has made several visits to Syria as part of a collaborative programme to build the capacity of the Paediatric Hospital in Damascus. WHO supports the hospital with state-of-the-art equipment and supplies, while specialists from Bambino Gesú provide supportive supervision and practical...

05 May 2019

5 April 2019 – The World Health Organization (WHO) strongly condemns the consecutive reported attacks on 3 health facilities in north-west Syria on 28 and 30 April. The attacks resulted in damage to infrastructure, putting them out of service. Of the 3 facilities attacked, 2 were hospitals located in northern Hama providing life-saving medical services to thousands of vulnerable populations affected by increased hostilities over the past weeks. The first hospital hit, in the early hours of 28 April, offered general surgery, maternal and child care services to approximately 8000 beneficiaries...

22 April 2019

22 April 2019, Damascus, Syria ‒ Over the next 6 days, the World Health Organization (WHO), in cooperation with the Syrian Ministry of Health and UNICEF, will conduct a series of national immunization days to immunize children under the age of 5 against vaccine-preventable diseases, including tuberculosis, pertussis, diphtheria, polio, tetanus, hepatitis B, haemophilus influenza, measles, mumps and rubella. WHO aims to vaccinate approximately 2.8 million children under the age of 5 in 13 governorates in Syria. The campaign will focus on reaching almost 250 000 children who were not vaccinated...

27 March 2019

27 March 2019, Damascus, Syria ‒ 35-year-old Kawthar is one of the tens of thousands of Syrians who fled intense fighting in Afrin city, north-west Syria last year. She and her family now live in a camp for displaced persons in northern rural Aleppo. In late 2018, a team from the World Health Organization visited the camp to screen people suspected of having tuberculosis (TB). Kawthar was one of several people confirmed as having the disease.   Kawthar was pregnant when she was first diagnosed. She refused to take her medicines...

21 March 2019

21 March 2019 – Baby Aynaa was only three months old when she and her mother fled from conflict-torn Deir-ez-Zor to Al-Hol camp in the neighbouring governorate of Al-Hasakeh. They endured a week-long journey in freezing temperatures and driving rain, with little food or water to sustain them. By the time she reached the safety of the camp, Aynaa was severely malnourished and close to death. Her weight had plummeted to 2.7 kgs and she was comatose.

06 March 2019

6 March 2019 - Um Hassan, from rural Aleppo, was collecting truffles in the countryside to sell in local markets. At the end of a long day of backbreaking work in harsh winter conditions, she and her children climbed into a crowded lorry to begin their journey home. Half-way through their trip, the lorry drove over an unexploded mine. Um Hassan’s 10-year old daughter Lolo was killed instantly and two of her other children were seriously injured.

31 January 2019

31 January 2019, Damascus, Syria – The World Health Organization is extremely concerned about the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Al-Hol camp in Al-Hasakeh governorate, and calls on all parties to the conflict to provide unhindered humanitarian access to people in need of life-saving aid. Over the last 2 months, approximately 23 000 people, mainly women and children fleeing hostilities in rural areas of neighbouring Deir-ez-Zor, have arrived in the camp. Many of them have walked or travelled in open trucks for several days and nights in the bitterly cold winter weather....

30 January 2019

30 January 2019, Damascus, Syrian Arab Republic – 14-year-old Khaled lives with his mother and 3 brothers in eastern Ghouta, Rural Damascus. His father died 5 years ago, leaving his family with very little. Following his father’s death, Khaled and his family lived through some of the darkest days of the conflict. The situation was even more distressing for Khaled, who suffers from congenital hearing loss. When his hearing aid broke 5 years ago, his mother could not afford the cost of a replacement. Khaled has lived in a world...

23 January 2019

23 January 2019 – Today, the World Health Organization (WHO) airlifted more than 28 tonnes of medical supplies, equipment and vaccines to Al-Hasakeh governorate to respond to growing health needs in north-east Syria. This is the second shipment the Organization has airlifted to Al-Hasakeh this month. A first shipment of 20 tonnes of medical supplies was airlifted to the governorate on 8 January 2019.

21 January 2019

21 January, 2019, Damascus, Syria – The Government of Kuwait has contributed more than US$ 3.8 million to WHO’s emergency and humanitarian operations in Syria. WHO will use the contribution to procure essential medicines and medical equipment for hospitals and health facilities throughout the country, focusing on facilities that provide treatment to children suffering from cancer. Many Syrian families with seriously ill children travel long distances to reach the Al-Bairouni hospital in Rural Damascus and the paediatric hospital in Damascus, currently the only 2 public hospitals that have specialized cancer care...

17 January 2019

17 January 2019, Damascus, Syria – The World Health Organization expresses severe concern about the deteriorating humanitarian conditions in Rukban settlement close to the border with Jordan, and calls for immediate access to the settlement to assess the health situation, provide essential medicines and medical supplies, and support the medical evacuation of critically ill patients. Approximately 40 000 people, mostly women and children, remain stranded in the settlement and are unable to leave, and harsh winter conditions have reportedly led to several deaths. Health care facilities are barely functioning and have...

10 January 2019

10 January 2019. Today, using a generous contribution from the Government of Japan, WHO handed over 16 ambulances to the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC). The ambulances will help improve referral and emergency services in critically underserved governorates. The donation comes at a crucial moment. The demand for health care services has continued to grow as more areas in the country become accessible. Moreover, thousands of people are returning to their homes to find that basic health care and referral services have been badly disrupted. The ambulances will allow the SARC to...

08 January 2019

8 January 2019 — WHO has airlifted 20 tons of medical supplies and equipment to Al-Qamishli in Al-Hasakeh governorate. WHO staff in Al-Qamishli are distributing the supplies to health partners in the north-eastern governorates of Al-Hasakeh, Deir-ez-Zor and Ar-Raqqa. The supplies, including antibiotics, anaesthetics, surgical supplies, IV fluids, trauma kits and medicines to treat noncommunicable diseases and common illnesses, are sufficient for 110 000 medical treatments. The shipment also included electrocardiography and haemodialysis machines, ventilators and incubators.

08 January 2019

Baghdad 8 January 2019 – The World Health Organization (WHO) extends its gratitude to the US Department of State Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (BPRM) for the generous contribution of US$ 2.5 million to support the health security of Syrian refugees living in Iraq. Iraq continued to host Syrian refugees throughout 2018. It is estimated that 250,000 Syrian refugees are currently residing in the three governorates of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) - Erbil, Dahuk, and Sulaymaniyah. The majority (64%) live with the host communities. “There is an urgent need...

27 December 2018

27 December 2018 – A generous donation from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) has enabled WHO to support medical teams in southern Syria. The teams provide primary health care services to thousands of people in the south who fled their homes in late June 2018 following an acute escalation of the conflict.

19 December 2018

19 December 2018 – A generous donation of US$ 1 000 000 from the State of Kuwait has brought a glimmer of hope to cancer patients in Syria at a time when public health services have been badly disrupted.

02 December 2018

2 December 2018 – The polio outbreak of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) detected in 2017 in Syria has been successfully stopped, with no international spread, according to experts. An official outbreak response assessment, comprising experts in global public health, virology and epidemiology, reviewed all available surveillance and immunization evidence from the past 18 months, and conducted first-hand field visits to the affected areas, including the epicentre of the outbreak, Deir Ez-Zor. The group concluded that the outbreak could now be closed.

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 reported unconfirmed information that the Al-Zahraa, Al-Khaldiyyeh and Nile Street areas of Aleppo city had been shelled with rounds of mortar fire that included an unknown type of gas. According to unconfirmed reports, dozens of patients were being admitted to...

01 November 2018

1 November 2018 – Fifty-five year old Um Mohammad from Ar-Raqqa governorate in the Syrian Arab Republic was diagnosed with breast cancer 2 years ago. There are no public hospitals in the governorate that can provide the treatment she needs, so she has to travel every 2 weeks to a national hospital in the neighbouring governorate of Hama for chemotherapy. The journey takes 8 hours each way. A tearful Um Mohammad said that the constant travel, on top of her illness, has left her exhausted. “I have been travelling to Hama...

25 October 2018

24 October, 2018 – A generous donation from the Government of Japan has allowed WHO to launch a one-year project to rehabilitate selected health care facilities in Syria. Currently, more than half the country’s hospitals and health care centres are closed or only partially functioning. This latest contribution from Japan will help improve access to health care services for Syrians in critical geographic locations, especially those with high numbers of internally displaced people. In addition to supporting the restoration of health care facilities, WHO will use the funds to deliver medicines and supplies,...

11 October 2018

11 October 2018, Aleppo, Syrian Arab Republic – Thanks to a generous contribution from the Government of Japan, WHO has supported the rehabilitation of two primary health care centres in east and northwest Aleppo. The two health centres were heavily affected by intensified fighting and were forced to close in 2013, depriving thousands of local residents of basic health care services. The Khaled Ben Al-Walid Health Centre in Al-Khalidiya district in northwest Aleppo and Al-Ma’asaraniyeh Health Centre in Al-Ma’asaraniyeh district in east Aleppo are reopening at a crucial time. People who...

26 September 2018

26 September 2018, Syria – The only tuberculosis (TB) control centre in Aleppo governorate is ready to open its doors again. Damages sustained during the conflict in 2016 forced the centre to close, leaving more than one thousand tuberculosis patients without access to life-saving treatment. Extensive renovations, made possible by a generous donation from the Government of Japan, have allowed the centre to reopen its doors to TB patients in Aleppo and other parts of northern Syria.

14 September 2018

14 September 2018 – The World Health Organization (WHO) yesterday airlifted 21 tons of essential medical supplies and vaccines to Al-Hasakeh governorate in north-east Syria. This is the fourth time this year that the Organization has delivered emergency health supplies to the governorate. 

03 September 2018

3 September 2018, Damascus, Syrian Arab Republic – The World Health Organization (WHO) welcomes the generous donation from the Government of Japan which has enabled WHO to procure advanced medical equipment. The equipment, worth over US$ 12 million, is the largest donation received by WHO in Syria. It includes magnetic resonance imaging scanners, ultrasound machines, echocardiography equipment, X-ray machines, respirators and other items. WHO in Syria will distribute the equipment to public and university hospitals throughout the country.  

19 August 2018

19 August 2018 – 8 years into the conflict in the Syrian Arab Republic, attacks on health care facilities and personnel in the country continue to rise despite United Nations resolutions strongly condemning these attacks. In the first 6 months of 2018, there were 126 separate attacks on health care in Syria – more than for the whole of 2017. Syria now accounts for a staggering 70% of all attacks on health care facilities documented by WHO worldwide.

17 August 2018

20 August 2018 – As the conflict in northwest Syria escalates, WHO is appealing for US$ 11 million to provide life-saving health care to people in parts of Aleppo, Hama, Idleb and Lattakia governorates. Hundreds of thousands of people, many of whom have been previously displaced, may be displaced yet again as they flee growing insecurity and violence. The situation in Idleb is particularly dire; more than half a million people have been displaced to and within the governorate since January 2017.

15 August 2018

Amman, 15 August 2018 – The World Health Organization (WHO) is supporting the provision of life-saving health care services for more than 900 000 conflict-affected people in southern Syria. Since mid-June 2018, WHO has delivered 61 tons of supplies – enough for more than 312 000 treatments – to the Directorates of Health in Dar’a and Quneitra, the Syrian Arab Red Crescent and As Sweida National Hospital. The supplies include surgical, trauma and burn kits, chronic disease medicines and insulin. WHO is also supporting the only functioning blood bank in areas...

24 July 2018

25 July 2018 – Childirth is often filled with uncertainty, especially for women living in conflict-affected or insecure environments. WHO has launched a new programme to help Syrian mothers during their pregnancy and after birth to manage this life-changing event.  The “caring for the newborn at home” initiative guides all mothers on the steps they and their families can take to ensure their newborn children have a healthy start in life.  Under the new programme, WHO-trained community health workers will make home visits to help mothers during pregnancy and after childbirth. To begin...

12 July 2018

12 July, 2018 – The World Health Organization (WHO) today called for the protection of health facilities and increased access to southern Syria, where the recent hostilities have left over 210 000 people displaced and in need of urgent health services. Up to 160 000 displaced Syrians currently seeking safety in Quneitra are inaccessible to health partners, raising concerns for their health. “People in Dar’a and Quneitra are waiting for the humanitarian community to reach them with urgently needed aid and we cannot let them down. Access must be granted,” said Dr...

05 July 2018

7 July 2018 – On 1 July 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) delivered over 17 tons of life-saving medicines and medical equipment to the newly accessible city of Douma in eastern Ghouta in Rural Damascus. The WHO supplies, dispatched as part of an inter-agency humanitarian convoy, are sufficient for more than 26 000 treatments for ill and wounded patients, and will be distributed to health care facilities supported by the Directorate of Health and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent. They include essential and chronic disease medicines, nutritional supplements, trauma and burn...

29 June 2018

28 June 2018, Amman, Jordan -- Opposition-controlled areas in southern Syria are witnessing a dramatic increase in violence that has led to high levels of insecurity and the displacement of tens of thousands of people. Over 80% of the estimated 525 000 people living in these areas are expected to need humanitarian assistance as a result of the fighting. This includes up to 50 000 people who have displaced over the past two weeks. On 27 June, WHO’s office in Damascus dispatched over 27 tons of medical supplies to respond to...

14 June 2018

14 June, 2018, Damascus, Syria –  With support from the World Health Organization (WHO), Al Moadamya primary health care centre in rural Damascus, Syria, has reopened after extensive rehabilitation made possible by a generous donation from the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID).    The centre serves more than 3800 people in the area, including almost 1800 people displaced from other parts of Rural Damascus. Services provided by its 19-strong team of doctors, nurses and midwives include vaccinations, maternal, newborn and child health, mental health, trauma care, nutrition, and treatment...

11 April 2018

11 April 2018 – WHO is deeply alarmed by reports of the suspected use of toxic chemicals in Douma city, East Ghouta. According to reports from Health Cluster partners, during the shelling of Douma on Saturday, an estimated 500 patients presented to health facilities exhibiting signs and symptoms consistent with exposure to toxic chemicals. In particular, there were signs of severe irritation of mucous membranes, respiratory failure and disruption to central nervous systems of those exposed. More than 70 people sheltering in basements have reportedly died, with 43 of those deaths...

05 April 2018

Damascus, 5 April 2018 – The Government of Japan has committed a total of US$ 5 million in new assistance to the World Health Organization (WHO) to strengthen primary health care for vulnerable populations in northern Syria, and to improve secondary and tertiary care for children from across the country, including those who come from East Ghouta. US$ 3.5 million of this package will be used to equip and rehabilitate the Emergency Department of the Damascus Paediatric Hospital, a key health institution providing vital support to critically ill children. Essential medical...

04 April 2018

Damascus, 4 April 2018 – Marking the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action, the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF are calling for concerted international action in response to the devastating health consequences of explosive hazards in Syria. More than 8 million people are exposed to explosive hazards in Syria, including over 3 million children.  In 2017, at least 910 children were killed and 361 children were maimed in Syria, including by explosive remnants of war and victim-activated improvised explosive devices. In the first 2 months of...

21 March 2018

21 March 2018, Damascus – The World Health Organization (WHO) is supporting the delivery of critical health care for Syrians fleeing the escalating violence in besieged East Ghouta. WHO has activated an emergency operations centre that works around the clock to assist the tens of thousands of Syrians from East Ghouta who have taken refuge in collective shelters in Rural Damascus.

12 March 2018

12 March 2018 – The World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF are supporting a nationwide polio vaccination campaign in the Syrian Arab Republic that aims to vaccinate more than 2.4 million children under 5 years of age in 13 governorates. The campaign, which is being managed by the Ministry of Health, was launched on 11 March and will last for 5 days.

08 March 2018

8 March 2018 – Twelve-year-old Fatima Hamidi lives with her 5 sisters and 7 brothers in the city of Aleppo. Over the past few years, her family’s life has been upended by uncertainty and fear. The conflict finally abated last year, and life began returning to normal. But just as Fatima was finishing the school year and getting ready for the summer holiday, her arms and legs became weak. She found it difficult to play with her friends. Eventually, she was unable to move.  After weeks of tests, doctors diagnosed her...

01 March 2018

1 March 2018 – Nour and his family fled their home in a besieged area last year, arriving in Damascus with almost nothing, after living through a terrifying ordeal. Nour lost his father and had stopped speaking. Now 11, Nour lost his hearing when he was an infant, but his family were unable to get him assistance until recently. Last year he received a hearing aid from the Tamayoz Social Care Association, a nongovernmental organization supported in part by the World Health Organization (WHO). "Now he can talk, express his feelings, and call...

28 February 2018

28 February 2018 – WHO has participated in an inter-agency mission to assess health needs in Al-Mouaddamiyeh (Rural Damascus). This area, which recently became accessible following years of siege, is home to over a hundred thousand people. According to the local mayor, the numbers are likely to increase given the new-found stability in the city.   The assessment team, which included representatives of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, found that years of conflict had taken a toll on the city. Its main primary health care (PHC) centre had been damaged and its water...

07 February 2018

7 February 2018 -  The World Health Organization (WHO) dispatched 14 tons of life-saving medicines, anesthetics, antibiotics, emergency medical kits and other treatments to Deir-ez-Zor governorate this week to urgently respond to the critical health needs of people in north-east Syria. The shipment contains more than 303 000 treatments for ill and wounded children, women and men.    Many Syrians who have recently returned to Deir-ez-Zor have found that their homes have been damaged or destroyed, and that health care facilities in the area are closed or are only partially functioning....

06 February 2018

6 February, 2018- The World Health Organization (WHO) has airlifted 17 tons of medical supplies to Al-Hasakeh governorate, Syrian Arab Republic, as part of its continued efforts to alleviate the suffering of hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people (IDPs) and critically ill patients in north-east Syria.  The airlift contains enough supplies to treat at least 380 000 people, including those wounded as a result of the ongoing conflict.   The provision of these critically-needed medical supplies is part of WHO’s commitment to boosting the health system in north-east Syria by donating life-saving...

05 February 2018

5 February 2018 – Thirteen-year old Hamad from rural Hama, Syrian Arab Republic, is being treated for leukaemia at the Children’s Hospital in Damascus. On Sunday 4 February, he met Elizabeth Hoff, the WHO Representative in Syria, when she visited the hospital on the occasion of World Cancer Day. He and the other children in the ward received a gift package that included a school bag, colouring book and other items. “Thank you for the bag, I will use it when I go back to school”, said Hamad. “I want to...

31 January 2018

WHO ramps up health support to camps in northeastern Syria in response to huge population movements 31 January 2018 – Sitting on the uneven floor of his small white tent in a displacement camp in northeastern Syria, Nasser Ali Mousa can find only one way to describe what his family went through in Raqqa during years of ISIL occupation and in the fierce battle to dislodge the group from the city. “It was hell,” he says. He looks at his grandson, Ra’ad, playing with a cherub-faced friend from the tent next-door. Ra’ad is wearing...