Delivering health care in crises: attacks on health care and the need for compliance to international humanitarian law
20 May 2016 – Saving lives in a number of countries of the WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean Region is a dangerous profession. Escalating conflict and the massive scale of humanitarian needs continue to place health care workers at great risk. Attacks against health workers and facilities in Afghanistan increased by 50% in 2015, and Syria is now the...
King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre continues its health support to Yemen
Sana’a, 9 May 2016 — With support from the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre, WHO continues to provide life-saving health care services to people affected by the conflict in Yemen. Funding from the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre has allowed WHO to deploy 14 mobile teams to 5 governorates, offering integrated care to...
Fifth health diplomacy seminar convenes in Cairo
Cairo, 7 May 2016 – The WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean held its fifth annual seminar on health diplomacy from 7 to 8 May 2016 in Cairo, Egypt. The seminar was first convened in 2012 as a regional initiative bringing together representatives of ministries of health and foreign affairs to explore the multidimensional...
WHO urges health care providers to clean their hands to reduce infections
3 May 2016 | Cairo – On the occasion of World Hand Hygiene Day, celebrated every year on 5 May, WHO urges health care workers to improve patient safety through following proper hand hygiene practices to reduce the number of health care-associated infections. The subject of this year’s campaign is surgical site infections, with particular focus on...
United Nations partners renew commitment to end preventable newborn deaths
Dr Peter Salama, Regional Director of UNICEF/Middle East and North Africa; Dr Ala Alwan, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, Mr Daniel Baker, UNFPA/Arab States sign a joint statement on accelerating the reduction of neonatal mortalityAmman, 24 April 2016 – The World Health Organization (WHO), UNFPA (United Nations Population...
National polio immunization campaign concludes in Yemen
Sana'a, 21 April 2016 – Yemen’s Ministry of Public Health and Population, with support from WHO and UNICEF, has concluded a national house-to-house polio immunization campaign, targeting 5 019 948 children under the age of 5 across the country. During the campaign, more than 4.5 million children (90% of target) were successfully vaccinated by more...
People with diabetes can live healthy and productive lives if the condition is diagnosed early and managed effectively
WHO calls for action to prevent and manage diabetes 6 April 2016 – The overall risk of dying among people with diabetes is at least double that of their peers without diabetes. On World Health Day, 7 April, the World Health Organization is calling for a 2-pronged approach: interventions to prevent diabetes, and interventions to manage diabetes...
WHO condemns attack on Ma’arib Hospital, Yemen
6 April 2016 – WHO strongly condemns the attack on Ma’arib General Hospital in Ma’arib governorate, Yemen on 3 April, in which 4 people died, including one medical doctor, and 13 people were injured. The attack also caused damage to the intensive care unit and administration buildings of the hospital. Despite facing critical shortages in health...
New WHO policy aims to lower sugar intake to fight obesity and overweight in the Region
Cairo, 5 April 2016 – In the Eastern Mediterranean Region, more than 65% of adults and 20% of adolescents are currently overweight or obese. Evidence shows that the excessive consumption of sugar is not only a major contributor to the epidemic of obesity but is also leading to increased prevalence of diabetes and tooth decay in children and...
Health situation in Yemen critical as violent conflict enters second year
27 March 2016, Sana’a, Yemen – This week marks one year since the escalation of the conflict in Yemen, where the violence has had a devastating impact on millions of innocent civilians, causing immeasurable suffering. Since March 2015, more than 6200 people have been killed and 30 000 injured. More than 21 million people – 82% of the total...
