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Strengthening Somalia’s health system and services through the COVID-19 response
A health care worker caring for her COVID-19 patient in De Martino Hospital isolation facility, Mogadishu. Photo: WHO SomaliaCairo, 21 October 2021 – Six experts from the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean travelled to Somalia between 26 and 30 September 2021 to review the country’s national and subnational COVID-19 response....
Strengthening Syria’s rapid response team and early warning system
The WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean conducted a technical mission to the Syrian Arab Republic with the aim of supporting the country’s preparedness and response capacity to high-threat pathogens. The mission, which took place from 31 July to 9 August, focused on strengthening early detection and rapid response, enhancing rapid...
Pandemic preparedness and response in the Region in light of recent report and proposed International Framework Convention
Cairo, 28 September 2021 – WHO convened a meeting attended by diverse regional and global public health leaders to discuss pandemic preparedness and response from the perspective of countries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, particularly those affected by conflict. The meeting took place on 6 September 2021 and was organized in collaboration...
WHO and System Staff College open pandemic leadership programme materials to public
The WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, together with the United Nations System Staff College (UNSSC) have made publicly available new course materials on OpenWHO.org, as part of the Leadership Programme on Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness and Response. The online course features recordings of prominent public health experts...
MERS and COVID-19 response: leveraging the “One Health” approach to combat public health threats
Cairo, 22 September 2021 – Integrating work on Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) with the COVID-19 response took centre stage at a virtual meeting organized by the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean on 16 August 2021. Participants discussed how to view the pandemic as an opportunity to learn more about effective...
Identifying challenges and solutions for pandemic influenza preparedness in the Region
Cairo, 2 August 2021 – Working on pandemic influenza preparedness (PIP) during the COVID-19 pandemic has proven to be challenging for priority countries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, but WHO has been supporting these countries to address challenges in ensuring effective implementation of the PIP framework. This was the outcome of a country focal...
Directors of national influenza centres in the Eastern Mediterranean Region meet to discuss challenges, opportunities, and the way forward for influenza laboratories
Cairo, 2 August 2021 – WHO convened a meeting for the directors of national influenza centres (NICs) in the Eastern Mediterranean Region to share new laboratory techniques and methodologies for influenza virus detection and characterization and discuss challenges they face in these areas of work. The meeting took place on 15 July 2021 and was...
WHO helps assess and strengthen laboratory diagnostic capacity for high-threat pathogens in Libya
Cairo, 1 August 2021 – The WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean conducted a field visit to Libya during the last week of June to assess the laboratory and surveillance network against COVID-19, as well as influenza-like illnesses (ILI) and severe acute respiratory infections (SARI). The mission visited the National Centre for Disease...
Leadership programme on epidemic and pandemic preparedness and response launched
24 June 2021 – The WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, in collaboration with the United Nations System Staff College, has launched a leadership programme on epidemic and pandemic preparedness and response, announced today by the WHO Regional Director Dr Ahmed Al-Mandhari and the Director of the United Nations Systems Staff College...
WHO builds critical care capacities for COVID-19 in Iraq
20 June 2021 – The clinical management pillar of WHO’s regional incident management support team has recently completed training of trainers for intensive care doctors and nurses in Iraq as part of its ongoing response to surge demand for intensive care beds and critical care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Like in other complex emergencies,...
