22 March 2024, Cairo, Egypt – I recently visited Al-Arish Governorate and the Rafah border crossing point in Egypt, where I met with the Deputy Governor of North Sinai Major General El-Ghandoor, senior officials from the Egyptian Red Crescent (ERC) and Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS), and other health partners working on the health response to...

15 March 2024  –  I have just returned from Sudan, my first mission to an emergency country in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region since I took office 5 weeks ago. I saw first-hand the devastation that decades of fragility, and nearly a year of brutal war, have wreaked on the country. “We lost many things this year that we will never be able to...

16 MARCH 2024, CAIRO, EGYPT – Thirteen years of conflict have left 16.7 million people requiring humanitarian aid and 15 million people - 65% of the population – in need of health assistance in Syria. This is the largest number of people in need of humanitarian aid since the conflict began in 2011. “There are currently more Syrians in need of aid...

A child is given the oral polio vaccine during a polio vaccination campaign, Sudan, November 2020. Photo credit: WHO/WHO Sudan 11 March 2024, Port Sudan, Sudan – Sudan’s Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) will launch a polio vaccination campaign in April 2024 in response to a new emergence of variant poliovirus type 2 reported in January 2024. It was...

11 March 2024 – Globally, more than 400 000 children and adolescents aged 0–19 years are diagnosed with cancer every year. Latest Global Cancer Observatory estimates for the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region show that there were about 36 000 new cases of paediatric cancers and 16 500 deaths in 2022. Experts from every country and territory of the...

11 March 2024, Cairo, Egypt – A US$ 8 million grant agreement signed yesterday by the World Health Organization (WHO) and Japan will provide essential support for critically ill patients evacuated from the Gaza Strip to Egypt for medical treatment. The agreement was signed by His Excellency Mr OKA Hiroshi, Ambassador of Japan to Egypt, and Dr Nima...

Women’s Health and Gender Equality: Essential Elements for a Better Future Every year on the 8th of March, we mark International Women’s Day, and the entire month of March is dedicated to recognizing women’s achievements and advances despite numerous challenges. This year’s theme is “Invest in women: Accelerate progress”, a call which is crucial...

8 March 2024 – A call to invest in women’s and girls’ health, well-being, and empowerment in all areas of life goes out today, on International Women’s Day 2024. The WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean joins the world in marking the global day, this year themed “Invest in women: Accelerate progress”. This call is crucial in the WHO...

5 March 2024, Rabat, Morocco ­– In a world facing numerous challenges, achieving universal health coverage remains crucial. More than half of the global population­ ­– some 4.5 billion people ­– lack full access to essential health care. In addition, over 2 billion people experience financial hardship in accessing basic health care. Social...

4 March 2024, Cairo, Egypt – Today, World Obesity Day 2024, is a chance to highlight the need to talk about obesity and youth. Obesity is a major health issue in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region. More than half of women (53%), nearly half of men (45%) and an alarming 8% of school-aged children and adolescents are obese, while 20.5% are...