World Malaria Day 2018: We are ready to beat malaria
25 April 2018, Cairo - On World Malaria Day 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners are calling on all concerned parties to be ready to end malaria - a disease which can be fatal and which affects millions of people, claiming many lives annually. This year’s World Malaria Day coincides with activities to commemorate the 70th...
Investing in the health of Syrians is an investment in the future of Syria, WHO says
24 April, Cairo/Geneva -- As the international community comes together in Brussels to show support for Syrians and for a political solution to the conflict, WHO calls for increased investments in health to protect the lives of almost 17 million vulnerable men, women and children inside Syria and in 5 major neighbouring countries. Every day, Syrians are...
World Immunization Week 2018: Protected Together, #VaccinesWork
22 April 2018, Cairo – This year’s World Immunization Week campaign, celebrated from 24 to 30 April, aims to highlight that protecting entire communities with vaccines protects everyone and so the theme of this year’s campaign is “Protected Together, #VaccinesWork”. Immunization is one of the most successful and cost-effective health...
Member States to elect a new WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean
17 April 2018, Cairo – On 19 May 2018, a Special Session of the Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean will be held in Geneva, Switzerland, for the sole purpose of nominating a new Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean. Eight candidates have been proposed by Member States and information on each candidate is available on the...
World Health Day 2018: Universal health coverage: everyone, everywhere
March 2018 – This year, the theme of World Health Day is ‘Universal health coverage: everyone, everywhere’ under the slogan ‘Health for All’. Access to universal health coverage can prevent people from being pushed into poverty because they are forced to pay for the costs of their health care. Without universal coverage, the lives and welfare of...
WHO is providing urgent health services in response to displacements from Afrin
23 March 2018, Cairo, Egypt – The World Health Organization (WHO) has deployed mobile medical clinics and critical health supplies to areas hosting newly displaced people from the northern Syrian district of Afrin, while supporting partners struggling to maintain health services in Afrin city and surrounding areas. An estimated 167 000 people...
Gender-based violence in emergencies highlighted on International Women’s Day 2018
6 March 2018 – This year, International Women’s Day, celebrated every year on 8 March, comes at a time when many countries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region are severely affected by humanitarian and emergency situations, with adverse implications for the prevalence and consequences of various forms of gender-based violence, including domestic...
Nursing Now campaign: empowering nurses to improve global health
27 February 2018 – As part of efforts to improve global health, the World Health Organization (WHO) and International Council of Nurses are supporting the Nursing Now campaign – a 3-year global health initiative of the Burdett Trust for Nursing that will be launched in February 2018. The campaign, which continues until the end of 2020, aims to raise...
WHO calls for sustainable solution to health sector power shortages in Gaza
8 February, 2018, Gaza Strip – Gaza’s health sector was on the verge of collapse due to dwindling fuel supplies until the United Arab Emirates stepped in this week with a US$2 million grant to sustain hospital backup generators for critical health services. The donation will provide enough fuel to keep facilities running for several months. “The...
World Cancer Day 2018: “We can. I can” meet the challenge
Credit: World Cancer Day Campaign Material by Union for International Cancer Control 4 February 2018, Cairo – The world celebrates World Cancer Day on 4 February each year. This year’s theme “‘We can. I can” is a continuation of a 3-year campaign that explores, highlights and provides guidance on how everyone – together or individually – can help reduce...