8 March, 2022 – Every year on 8 March, the world marks International Women's Day to highlight the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women everywhere. This year’s theme ‘Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow’ aims to recognize the contribution of women and girls around the world, who are leading the way on climate...

By Dr Ahmed Al-Mandhari, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean  24 February 2022, Cairo, Egypt – I am shocked and deeply outraged by the killing of 8 polio health workers, 4 of them women, in Afghanistan today. I extend my deepest condolences to the families, friends, and colleagues of those who have lost their lives. As a result of...

15 February 2022 - On 26 January 2022, the World Health Organization validated Saudi Arabia as having eliminated trachoma as a public health problem, making it the fourth country in WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean Region to achieve this milestone. Trachoma is a neglected tropical eye disease. Children acquire the infection at a young age....

Doha, 13 February 2022 - His Excellency Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani, Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, today attended a WHO ceremony awarding Doha and Al Rayyan municipalities “Healthy City” status and designating the Qatar Foundation’s Education City a “Healthy Education City”. The Ministry of Public Health, in...

9 February 2022 – In just a few days, we will see the 20th million person in our Region infected with COVID-19. Over the past 2 years, the losses due to the pandemic have been staggering, with more than 324 000 lives lost, major economic decline, social divisions, and family disruptions. The virus continues to indiscriminately target people in...

Cairo, 30 January 2022 – With the rapid spread of Omicron causing sharp increases in cases worldwide and leaving health systems overwhelmed, WHO urges for broader access to available COVID-19 vaccination in low coverage countries, prioritizing groups at higher risk of severe disease and death. Weeks since its declaration as a variant of concern...

27 January 2022, Cairo – On 30 January, the world marks “World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day” to raise awareness about neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) as a critical public health challenge so that we can progress towards their elimination. The World Health Assembly adopted the World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day unanimously last year upon...

The current COVID-19 situation in our Region continues to be of concern. As of 22 January 2022, there have been more than 18.2 million cases reported, and almost 320,000 deaths as a result of COVID-19. This marks a 37% increase in cases compared to the previous week, and a 186% increase in cases compared to the same time last year. While we don’t have the...

18 January 2022, Cairo-Beirut – The WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Dr Ahmed Al-Mandhari and the Regional Director of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) Dr Hossam Elsharkawi, today signed a memorandum of understanding to enhance collaboration to support countries in the Middle East...

13 January 2022 – Welcome to our first press briefing of 2022, and I wish you and your loved ones a happy and healthy new year. 2021 was difficult for most of us. Despite the incredible progress made in developing effective tools to prevent and control the pandemic, including vaccines and therapeutics, we continued to see increasing numbers of people...