A WHO Regional meeting on preconception care was held from 25 to 27 March 2015 to review the preconception health needs and national capacity for countries of this Region. Regional and international experts in preconception care, genetics and maternal health and child health participated in the regional consultation to guide the adaption of WHO global policies for the regional context.
Preconception care is a form of primary prevention for promoting health assessing risk and intervening to modify risk factors that may improve maternal and child health outcomes. The incidence rate of congenital disorders in the Eastern Mediterranean Region is relatively high and is influenced by prevailing demographic and cultural characteristics like first cousin marriages. Evidence shows that he incidence of congenital anomalies increases in the offspring of these kinds of marriages. Blood disorders like sickle cell anemia and thalassaemia, are common illnesses in the Region.
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