Regional Director’s statement on the occasion of World Refugee Day 2016
20 June 2016 – As conflict rages through the Eastern Mediterranean Region, thousands of people flee their homes every day in search of safety. Faced with violence, blocked roads and sometimes limited resources, their journey is never easy. Crossing borders in search of a safer environment, many refugees still struggle to lead normal lives,...
WHO expresses concern over disease outbreaks in its response to Fallujah crisis
WHO Regional Director’s field visit to camps for internally displaced people (IDPs) in Amiriyat Al-Fallujah, which house more than 42 000 IPDs. 01/14 Start Stop Previous Next
WHO reaches more people in need with lifesaving treatments in Duma
13 June 2016 – Despite security challenges, WHO continues to reach people in besieged and hard-to-reach areas in Syria with health humanitarian assistance. These sites include Duma, Syria, where impediments to proper water and sanitation services have resulted in poor living, hygiene and sanitation conditions, as well as a lack of access to...
World Blood Donor Day 2016: Blood connects us all Share blood. Save lives
14 June 2016-- On the occasion of the World Blood Donor Day 2016, the World Health Organization (WHO) calls on people all over the world to share life by donating their blood to those who need it. “Blood connects us all” is the theme selected to highlight this year’s Day celebrated worldwide on 14 June. About 6 million blood donations are...
WHO condemns attacks on multiple health facilities in Aleppo, Syria
10 June 2016 – The World Health Organization condemns the attacks on 2 hospitals in Aleppo, Syria, on 8 June. The al-Bayan and al-Hakeem hospitals, located in the eastern part of Aleppo city, were together providing close to 9200 consultations and performing 173 major surgeries per month. The al-Hakeem hospital, a UNICEF-supported facility, is...
Vaccination campaign at risk as fighting intensifies in Syria
Joint statement by Dr Ala Alwan, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, and Dr Peter Salama, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa 2 June 2016, Amman/Cairo – As fighting and violence escalate across Syria, we risk losing the opportunity to vaccinate and save the lives of more than 1 million children. For...
WHO condemns attack on Benghazi Medical Center in Benghazi, Libya
30 May 2016 - WHO condemns the multiple attacks on 27 and 28 May 2016 on the Benghazi Medical Center in Benghazi, Libya. More than 600 patients and health workers were in the medical center at the time of the attacks. No casualties inside the center have been reported, although there are substantial damages to infrastructure. Benghazi Medical...
World No Tobacco Day, 31 May 2016: Get ready for plain packaging
Plain packaging of tobacco products to reduce demand, save lives 30 May, 2016–Recent moves to introduce plain (standardized) packaging of tobacco products can save lives by reducing demand for tobacco products, say the World Health Organization (WHO) and the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Secretariat (WHO FCTC). Plain packaging of...
WHO condemns attack on Jableh hospital in Syria
23 May 2016 – WHO condemns the bombing of the Jableh National Hospital in Latakia province in Syria. Over 40 patients and accompanying family members were killed and 35 injured. An emergency doctor and 2 nurses also died in the explosion while 11 other health workers have been wounded. Due to the damage, the hospital is currently not functional...
Life-saving initiatives: Government of Japan supports WHO in Iraq
Baghdad, 19 May 2016 — The Government of Japan has generously provided US$ 3 million to support the work of WHO in Iraq. This contribution directly supports life-saving primary and secondary health care services in Duhok and the plains of Ninewa, where more than 600 000 people live. It will also assist in the prevention, early detection and...
