30 June 2019, Cairo, Egypt – The time has come to speak out once more about attacks on health care in WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean Region. Since the beginning of 2019, our Region has witnessed an average of more than one attack every day: hundreds of health workers have been killed, injured or assaulted, hospitals have been damaged and destroyed,...

25 June 2019, Tunis, Tunisia ‒ Yesterday in Tunis, the first meeting of the Parliamentary Forum for Health and Well-being, taking place from 24 to 26 June 2019, opened in the Parliamentarian Academy affiliated to Tunisia’s Assembly of the Representatives of the People. It is the first ever WHO-supported meeting to be hosted in a Parliament. This first...

Kampala, Uganda, 20 June 2019 – Egypt has announced that it would be providing hepatitis C testing and treatment for one million people in 14 African countries. Speaking at the opening of the African Hepatitis Summit 2019, currently underway in Kampala, Uganda, HE Dr Hala Zaid, the Egyptian Minister of Health and Population, stated that the...

13 June 2019 – On the occasion of World Blood Donor Day 2019, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Dr Ahmed Al-Mandhari emphasized that everyone in the world had the right to access safe blood transfusion, when and where it was needed. Access to safe blood and blood products is essential for universal health coverage (UHC) and a key...

June 7, 2019 - Cairo: WHO is gravely concerned about the recent impact of violence in Sudan on people in need, health workers and medical facilities. Incursions into hospitals in Khartoum have resulted in emergency services being shut down, the unwarranted transfer of patients, injuries to five medical staff and patients, and threats to others. Health...

Quit now and say no to second-hand smoke Cairo, Egypt, 31 May, 2019 ‒ On this World No Tobacco Day, the World Health Organization (WHO) is calling on people to quit tobacco smoking and say no to second-hand smoke to protect their lungs. Tobacco is harmful in all its forms. It kills over 8 million people every year. Tobacco smoking and second-hand smoke...

Amman, Jordan, 28 May 2019 – The Regional Verification Commission for Measles and Rubella Elimination (RVC) in the Eastern Mediterranean Region has declared that measles and rubella have been eliminated from both Bahrain and Oman, and that Islamic Republic of Iran has eliminated rubella and is about to eliminate measles. The RVC met in Amman,...

12 May 2019 ‒ Every year, International Nurses Day is celebrated on 12 May. This year’s campaign focuses on nurses as a voice to lead achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), attainment of health as a human right and achievement of universal health coverage (SDG 3.8) to ensure that no person is left behind without access to health...

8 May 2019, Cairo, Egypt: The World Health Organization (WHO) strongly condemns continuing attacks on health facilities in north-western Syria. Since 28 April, in just 9 days, 12 health structures have been hit.  On 5 May, 3 facilities were struck in one day alone, including 2 major hospitals that provide secondary health care in the area. One of...

7 May 2019 – The Fifth United Nations Global Road Safety Week, under the theme “Leadership for road safety”, is taking place from 6 to 12 May 2019. This major worldwide campaign was requested by the United Nations General Assembly in April 2018 in resolution A/72/271 on improving global road safety. Road safety continues to be a grave public...