On the occasion of World AIDS Day, 1 December, the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean is putting the spotlight on the HIV treatment gap in the Region. The Eastern Mediterranean Region is experiencing the fastest rate of increase of the HIV epidemic in the world. At the same time, it is providing the lowest coverage of HIV...

Violence against women is a violation of their human rights and has to stop25 November 2012 – International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women is celebrated annually on 25 November. Violence against women is a major public health problem and a violation of women's human rights. The United Nations defines violence against women as...

17 November 2012 – The World Health Organization (WHO) is deeply concerned about the escalating situation in the Gaza Strip and Israel and its impact on the health and lives of civilian populations in the area. As of noon Saturday 17 November, the Ministry of Health of the Gaza Strip reported that 38 people had been killed: 27 adults, 2 of whom...

Millions of families lose a precious loved one every year due to road traffic accidents18 November 2012 – Celebrated this year on Sunday 18 November, the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims 2012 carries the theme: Now is the time to learn from the past. An annual global event, the Remembrance Day is marked to pay respect to the...

11 November 2012 – The annual celebration of World Diabetes Day on 14 November is a reminder that diabetes remains one of the most serious and most prevalent chronic health problems in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, threatening lives and overall development in several countries in the Region. Risk factors for diabetes are unhealthy eating habits...

24 October 2012 – Polio eradication partners around the world are marking the first World Polio Day since India was removed from the list of countries with active transmission of wild poliovirus. No polio cases have been reported from India since January 2011. This development has opened up an historic opportunity to complete polio eradication in the...

The impact of urbanization on population health, health equity and the environment are key concerns for national and municipal authorities21 October 2012 – Urban health challenges across the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region are acute and increasingly complex. Unplanned urban growth puts millions of people living in urban slums and disadvantaged...

This year, World Sight Day is observed on 11 October 2012 by organizations and institutions around the world. There is no global theme for the Day this year allowing participating organizations to use the occasion to highlight their own priority areas. In Egypt, organizations will be focusing on the major causes of blindness – cataract, glaucoma, refractive...

Barriers to effective care for mental health include a lack of resources and trained health care providers and social stigmaThis year’s theme for the World Mental Health Day is “Depression: a global crisis”. Depression is a common illness worldwide, with an estimated 350 million people affected. Depression is different from usual mood...

The WHO Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean concluded its 59th session by calling upon Member States to provide support to alleviate the suffering of refugees and internally-displaced persons in the Syrian Arab Republic and neighbouring countries. It also expressed solidarity for Afghanistan and Pakistan in their efforts to eradicate...