Government of Pakistan reiterates its commitment to polio eradication efforts, 12 August 2012
Dr Ala Alwan, WHO Regional Director, meets with H.E. the President Asif Ali Zardari to discuss some of the challenges facing Pakistan's national polio programmeIn his recent visit to Pakistan, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Dr Ala Alwan met H.E. the President Asif Ali Zardari to discuss the progress of, and challenges to,...
August 1–7 is World Breastfeeding Week, 1 August 2012
Breastfeeding ensures child health and survival1 August 2012 – On the occasion of World Breastfeeding Week and 10 years after the launch of the WHO/UNICEF Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding, the world is looking back to gauge the success of efforts to support all women to optimally feed and care for their infants and young...
World Hepatitis Day 2012, 26 July 2012
Hepatitis is closer than you thinkCairo, 26 July 2012. The second World Hepatitis Day was observed across the world on Saturday, 28 July, with new information highlighting the seriousness of this disease and its widespread distribution regionally and globally. Despite its staggering toll on health, hepatitis remains a group of diseases that are...
The Grand Imam of Al-Azhar urges parents to ensure their children receive polio vaccination, 22 July 2012
Polio vaccination is vital for the safety of children The Islamic Research Academy of Al-Azhar has issued a statement urging parents around the world to continue vaccinating their children and avoid listening to rumours and false calls that ban polio vaccination. The statement reads, “As this disease endangers the lives of our children, causes...
WHO and African policy-makers address health financing, 8 July 2012
Dr Ala Alwan, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, Dr Margaret Chan, WHO Director General, and Dr Abdellatif Mekki, Minister of Public Health of Tunisia, at the conference – Value for money, sustainability and accountability in the health sectorIn Africa, more and more countries are being branded as middle-income countries and...
Iraq joins the Global Stop TB Partnership, 5 July 2012
At the launch of the National Stop TB Partnership (from left to right): H.E Dr Majeed Hamad Amin, Minister of Health of Iraq, H.E Mrs Hero Ibrahim Ahmed, First Lady of Iraq, H.E Dr Rekawt Hama Rasheed, Minister of Health of the Kurdistan Regional Government, and Dr Syed Jaffar Hussain, WHO Representative“TB causes loss of human life and poses a...
Improving road safety in Egypt, 1 July 2012
The Road Safety in 10 Countries project is an international initiative that aims to raise road safety awareness in 10 low- and middle-income countries, including EgyptCairo, 20–21 June 2012 – Road traffic injuries are among the 10 leading causes of death and disability globally. In Egypt, road traffic crashes claim the lives of about 8000...
Improving national health accounting systems for better health care, 25 June 2012
How much should countries spend on health, and how can this expenditure be tracked? As health care systems around the world continuously develop in response to changing demographics, disease patterns rapid technological development and highly complicated funding mechanisms, this is the kind of information required by the experts and policy-makers...
Delivering immunization services in times of crisis, 14 July 2012
More than 3.2 million children under the age of five are being immunized against polio in South SudanIn many countries of the Eastern Mediterranean Region, delivering immunization services is not an easy task. Demographic, geographic, social and economic challenges, in addition to limited health system capacities, often affect the delivery of...
Visit of the Minister of Health of Morocco to the WHO Regional Office fosters stronger cooperation, 13 June 2012
Dr Alwan, WHO Regional Director (right), shakes hands with the Minister of Health of Morocco, H.E. Dr El Hussein El-Ouardi, accompanied by Dr Jaouad Mahjour of the Regional Office (left) and Mr Jilali Hazem, Ministry of Health, MoroccoH.E. Dr El Hussein El-Ouardi, the Minister of Health of Morocco, paid a one-day visit to the WHO Regional Office for...
