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World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims 2024
17 November 2024 – Every day, at least 300 people in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region lose their lives due to road crashes, and many more suffer injuries and disabilities. So, we never forget the faces behind the numbers, World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims was started in 1993. In 2005, the United Nations endorsed it as a global...
World Diabetes Day 2024
Breaking barriers, bridging gaps: uniting to strengthen diabetes well-being. 14 November 2024, Cairo, Egypt – World Diabetes Day, commemorated annually on 14 November, provides an opportunity to raise awareness about diabetes as a global public health issue and emphasize the collective and individual actions needed to improve the prevention,...
Qatar Foundation’s WISH Summit 2024 addresses global health challenges in partnership with WHO
12 November 2024, Doha, Qatar – The World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH), an initiative of the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, will host its seventh edition of the WISH Summit (WISH7) on 13 and 14 November 2024. Over 2 days, more than 3000 health policy-makers, innovators, entrepreneurs, researchers and...
Opening remarks by Dr Hanan Balkhy, Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, at the Regional press briefing on emergencies
Dear colleagues, Good morning from Cairo, Egypt. 11 November 2024 - Since our last briefing on health emergencies, the conflict we feared would escalate has intensified, leading to a devastating deterioration in the Middle East, particularly in the occupied Palestinian territory and Lebanon. The Famine Review Committee has warned of imminent...
WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Region Dr Hanan Balkhy’s statement on her visit to Somalia
10 November 2024 – My first visit to Somalia as Regional Director took place as the country stands at a crossroads. On the one hand, Somalia is reeling from more than 3 decades of conflict and instability, extreme weather events, disease outbreaks and regional fragility. On the other, the country is poised for change. Somalia’s leaders are...
Intense bombardments, mass displacements and lack of access in northern Gaza force the postponement of polio vaccination campaign
23 October 2024, Jerusalem/Amman/Geneva- Due to the escalating violence, intense bombardment, mass displacement orders, and lack of assured humanitarian pauses across most of northern Gaza, the Polio Technical Committee for Gaza, including the Palestinian Ministry of Health, World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Children’s Fund...
Pink October: Breast Cancer Awareness Month
October 2024, Cairo, Egypt ̶ Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality among women globally, accounting for 1 in 6 female deaths. Each year, it accounts for around 25% of all cancers diagnosed in women. In the Eastern Mediterranean Region, over 130 000 new cases were reported in 2022, underscoring the urgent need for...
Patients transferred, critical supplies denied as high-risk, on WHO-led joint mission in northern Gaza amid intense hostilities
22 October 2024, Gaza, Cairo, Geneva – On 21 October, 14 patients and 10 caregivers were transferred from Kamal Adwan in North Gaza to Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City during a high-risk, WHO-led joint mission, amid intense hostilities and access restrictions. Despite an initial agreement, the delivery of critical medical supplies, blood, and...
Egypt is certified malaria-free by WHO
A total of 44 countries and 1 territory have reached the malaria-free milestone 20 October 2024 | Geneva / Cairo - The World Health Organization (WHO) has certified Egypt as ‘malaria-free’, marking a significant public health milestone for a country with more than 100 million inhabitants. The achievement follows a nearly 100-year effort by the...
WHO secures an additional US$ 18 million in partner funding
17 October 2024, Doha, Qatar – WHO has secured an additional US$ 18 million in funding commitments from key partners, to complement US$ 18 million already in the pipeline. The pledges, by ATscale – Global Partnership for Assistive Technology and the Hamdard Foundation, and the pledge by the Islamic Development Bank earmarking the Health Impact...
