12 October 2022, Cairo – Vaping is a gateway to smoking. Data show that people who vape are five times more likely to become regular cigarette smokers, a habit that claims a life every four seconds. The tobacco industry is using new strategies to fuel its multi-billion-dollar turnover. It is flooding markets around the world with new and emerging...

12 October 2022, Cairo – Climate change is now regarded as the greatest global health threat of the 21st century. Human activities continue to cause environmental pollution and loss of biodiversity, factors that are leading not only to the emergence of new diseases but to the redistribution of existing ones. A side event at the 69th session of the...

12 October 2022, Cairo – Regional health policy-makers and experts have paved the way towards a regional agenda on priorities for advancing health systems participatory governance.  Discussions took place during a side event on “Institutionalizing Participatory Governance in the Eastern Mediterranean Region” organized by the health system...

12 October 2022 – Against a backdrop of rising tuberculosis (TB) incidence rates – from 40 cases per 100 000 in 2019 to 59 per 100 000 in 2021 ­– Libya has taken action to ensure migrants can access life-saving TB services. In January 2020, a new project began offering TB services through outreach activities. Migrants displaying TB symptoms are...

11 October 2022, Cairo ‒ The 69th session of the WHO Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean proceeded with regular sessions today. Presenting his annual report for 2021, Dr Ahmed Al-Mandhari, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, underlined how the COVID-19 pandemic has continued to exact a heavy toll, with a total of 28...

Cairo, 11 October 2022 ‒ In presenting his annual report for 2021, Dr Ahmed Al-Mandhari, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, underlined how the COVID-19 pandemic has continued to exact a heavy toll, with a total of 28 million cases confirmed and more than 348 000 deaths reported across the Region by October 2022. As the pandemic...

11 October 2022 – A new approach to risk communication and community engagement in Iraqserved toexpand emergency response capabilities at a time when COVID-19, cholera and Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever were all in circulation. WHO and the Iraqi Ministry of Health developed a multifaceted programme to expand risk awareness and refine...

Tuesday 11 October 2022 - Members of the Regional Subcommittee for Polio Eradication and Outbreaks in the Eastern Mediterranean reviewed recent progress during the 69th session of the Regional Committee. It was the sixth meeting of the subcommittee since it was formed during the 67th Regional Committee. During the meeting Member States and...

Cairo, 10 October 2022 ‒ The 69th session of the WHO Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean was inaugurated today in Cairo by Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General; Dr Ahmed Al-Mandhari, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean; and H.E. Dr Ahmed Robleh Abdilleh, Minister of Health of Djibouti and Vice-chair of...

10 October 2022 – Today’s pre-Regional Committee technical meetings included the launch of the British Medical Journal’s (BMJ) “Global Health Special Issue on Health for Peace”. Building on the work of the Global Health for Peace Initiative (GHPI), the issue documents experiences from across WHO regions in order to better understand the complex...