WHO art competition for school students & quot;75 years of improving public health & quot;
Dear students,
On 7 April 2023 ̶ World Health Day ̶ the World Health Organization will observe its 75th birthday.
In 1948, countries of the world came together and founded WHO to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable – so everyone, everywhere could attain the highest level of health and well-being.
To advance the health and security of all people, WHO works with governments, communities, international organizations, foundations, advocates, researchers and health workers, and WHO’s 75th anniversary year is an opportunity to look back at the public health succe...
Source: WHO EMRO News - January 25, 2023 Category: Middle East Health Source Type: news
WHO launches funding appeal to help a record number of people in complex, intersecting health ...
WHO’s Health Emergency Appeal 2023 calls for US$ 2.54 billion
Geneva, 23 January 2023 – WHO is launching its 2023 health emergency appeal today for US$ 2.54 billion to provide assistance to millions of people around the world facing health emergencies. The number of people in need of humanitarian relief has increased by almost a quarter compared to 2022, to a record 339 million.
Currently, WHO is responding to an unprecedented number of intersecting health emergencies: climate change-related disasters such as flooding in Pakistan and food insecurity across the Sahel and in the greater Horn of Africa; the war in...
Source: WHO EMRO News - January 25, 2023 Category: Middle East Health Source Type: news
Information note on new COVID-19 Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5
18 January 2023, Cairo, Egypt – The recently detected XBB.1.5 variant is a sub-lineage of the Omicron XBB sub-lineage. Although data on XBB.1.5 are still very limited, currently available information indicates that XBB.1.5 has a growth advantage compared to other circulating Omicron sublineages and may therefore contribute to an increase in cases globally.
Additionally, as per preliminary laboratory-based studies, this sublineage evades antibodies in humans at equal rate as o XBB* variants are the most antibody-resistant variants to date. No data are currently available regarding the severity of disease associ...
Source: WHO EMRO News - January 18, 2023 Category: Middle East Health Source Type: news
Elevating country preparedness and readiness at the core of the mpox response in the Eastern ...
Cairo, 12 January 2023 – The spread of the mpox (monkeypox) outbreak has been limited in the Eastern Mediterranean Region with 10 countries reporting 80 laboratory-confirmed cases and one associated death, mostly correlated with a travel history to areas where the outbreak is steadily circulating.
From the very inception of the mpox outbreak in the Region, the World Health Organization (WHO) has responded to effectively enhance country preparedness and response to the newly emerging outbreak.
With the declaration of the first case in the Region in May 2022, WHO established a regional te...
Source: WHO EMRO News - January 12, 2023 Category: Middle East Health Source Type: news
Launch of the Regional Cervical Cancer Elimination Strategy for the Eastern Mediterranean
Cervical cancer is one cancer we can actually eliminate: it’s time to do it
11 January 2023 – The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean formally launched today the Regional Cervical Cancer Elimination Strategy for the Eastern Mediterranean at a hybrid press conference hosted by WHO leaders and joined by women who have survived cervical cancer, advocates fighting the disease and high-level speakers. The event introduced the “90-70-90” targets set by the strategy: for countries to achieve 90% human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination coverage for girls by age 15, 70% screeni...
Source: WHO EMRO News - January 11, 2023 Category: Middle East Health Source Type: news
Statement by Principals of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee on Afghanistan, Women ’s ...
The decision by Afghanistan’s de facto authorities to ban women from working in humanitarian non-governmental organizations is a major blow for vulnerable communities, for women, for children, and for the entire country.
Female staff are key to every aspect of the humanitarian response in Afghanistan. They are teachers, nutrition experts, team leaders, community health workers, vaccinators, nurses, doctors, and heads of organizations. They have access to populations that their male colleagues cannot reach and are critical to safeguarding the communities we serve. They save lives. Their professional expertise is indisp...
Source: WHO EMRO News - December 29, 2022 Category: Middle East Health Source Type: news
WHO leading the humanitarian response to the escalation of violence in Sudan ’s Blue Nile State
WHO team conducting interviews with IDPs to assess needs and gaps at Alqasam IDP Camp, Damazine locality, Blue Nile State, Sudan. 6 November 2022. Credit: WHO20 December 2022 – A recent wave of conflict between 2 rival camps in Sudan’s Blue Nile State – Hausa and Fonj-Hamaj – has reportedly led to 300 people killed and another 236 injured since 13 October 2022. Along with limiting access to health facilities, this precarious situation has also resulted in the cessation of farming, trade, and daily activities, as well as the displacement of 71 406 individuals, who fled their homes to adjacent shelter camps...
Source: WHO EMRO News - December 20, 2022 Category: Middle East Health Source Type: news
IAG reaffirms commitment to addressing current and emerging public health challenges in the ...
13 December 2022, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia – At its ninth annual meeting, the Islamic Advisory Group (IAG) reiterated its commitment to addressing current and emerging public health challenges in the Eastern Mediterranean Region and beyond and using religion to dispel misconceptions around public health.
This year’s IAG meeting was hosted by the Organization for Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, with the participation of the International Islamic Fiqh Academy (IIFA), Al Azhar Al Sharif, and the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB). The theme of the meeting is “Partnering for change: leveraging faith to...
Source: WHO EMRO News - December 13, 2022 Category: Middle East Health Source Type: news
Saving lives and limbs: WHO scales up its trauma response in Somalia
WHO Trauma Operational and Advisory Team (TOpAT) visits the emergency unit in Madina Hospital, Mogadishu, Somalia. WHO/Sara Halimah
11 December, 2022, Cairo – Somalia witnessed one of its worst mass casualty incidents with the double bomb blast on 29 October 2022, which resulted in more than 117 civilians dead and over 344 injured. Approximately 70% of the trauma deaths occurred before victims could reach the hospital.
A major public health burden in Somalia, exacerbated by the conflict, trauma accounts for nearly 80 lives lost and over 200 civilians injured from blast injuries every month in Mogadishu alone. Children ...
Source: WHO EMRO News - December 11, 2022 Category: Middle East Health Source Type: news
Cholera further exacerbates vulnerabilities in Syria
8 December 2022 – Since the first case was declared on 6 September 2022, cholera has spread to all 14 governorates in Syria, adding another grim chapter of human suffering in the war-torn country.
Between 25 August and 26 November 2022, over 52 013 suspected cholera cases and 98 deaths were reported across Syria, with Deir-ez-Zor, Ar-Raqqa, Aleppo, Idleb, and Al-Hasakeh, reporting the highest figures. Camps hosting internally displaced people (IDPs) have reported more than 2100 cases.
“I was about to die, I felt weak and without strength. My condition was deteriorating with hours of diarrho...
Source: WHO EMRO News - December 8, 2022 Category: Middle East Health Source Type: news
WHO Regional Director ’s statement to the press for International Universal Health Coverage ...
11 December 2022 – Good afternoon and welcome to today’s press briefing on the occasion of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Day, which is held annually on 12 December. UHC Day is an official United Nations-designated day marking the anniversary of a unanimous decision seven years ago to endorse universal health coverage as an essential component of international development.
Under this year’s theme, “Build the World We Want: A Healthy Future for All”, UHC Day provides an opportunity to advocate for universal health coverage and for the key role that primary health care plays in achieving UHC and ensuring hea...
Source: WHO EMRO News - December 8, 2022 Category: Middle East Health Source Type: news
Universal Health Coverage Day: building the healthy future we want
8 December 2022 – To celebrate Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Day on 12 December and in line with the theme of this year “Build the World We Want: A Healthy Future for All”, the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean is organizing a meeting on primary health care (PHC) for universal health coverage (UHC) and health security in the Eastern Mediterranean Region from 11 to 15 December 2022.
The meeting will bring together more than 100 stakeholders from government, the private sector, donors, academia and the health sector to renew commitment to achieving UHC and health security. Participants will share cou...
Source: WHO EMRO News - December 8, 2022 Category: Middle East Health Source Type: news
2022 in focus: With recent floods and drought impacting health in several countries in the ...
Cairo, 7 December 2022 – While responding to multiple concurrent emergencies in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, WHO has simultaneously extended massive support to 5 countries in the Region affected by climate change in 2022 – Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
With environmental and climatic risks responsible for around 23% of the total burden of disease in the Region, “The links between climate change, severe weather events and health are increasingly evident, including drought and floods,” Dr Ahmed Al-Mandhari, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, said during a recent ...
Source: WHO EMRO News - December 7, 2022 Category: Middle East Health Source Type: news
With recent floods and drought impacting health in several countries in the Eastern ...
Cairo, 7 December 2022 – While responding to multiple concurrent emergencies in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, WHO has simultaneously extended massive support to 5 countries in the Region affected by climate change in 2022 – Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
With environmental and climatic risks responsible for around 23% of the total burden of disease in the Region, “The links between climate change, severe weather events and health are increasingly evident, including drought and floods,” Dr Ahmed Al-Mandhari, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, said during a recent ...
Source: WHO EMRO News - December 7, 2022 Category: Middle East Health Source Type: news
WHO enhances national efforts to prevent the spread of leishmaniasis in Syria
4-year-old Omar after his recovery from leishmaniasis
5 December 2022, Aleppo, Syria – A 4-year-old child should be able to play outside with his friends. But not Omar, due to a large lesion on his cheek delivered by a sandfly carrying leishmaniasis.
Leishmaniasis is serious disease, spread by sandflies which bite uncovered parts of the body. It goes undetected during the first phases of infection, as patients experience no more than the effects they would from a regular mosquito bite. Once a few months have passed, the lesion begins to swell abnormally.
WHO cooperates with different health partners to reduce the suff...
Source: WHO EMRO News - December 5, 2022 Category: Middle East Health Source Type: news
