Standing up to the “epidemic” of violence against women
Cairo, 9 December 2012 UN Women, WHO, UNFPA and UNAIDS are fully committed to stopping violence against women and to ensuring the security, safety and dignity of women and girls regardless of where, when and how this violence is perpetrated.
UN Women, WHO, UNFPA and UNAIDS express particular concern about the high vulnerability of marginalized women, including young and adolescent girls, women with disabilities, women living with HIV and women in situations of conflict, who are frequent targets of violence.
Violence against women remains a socially accepted but hidden issue in many parts of the world including the Middle E...
Source: WHO EMRO - Press releases - December 9, 2012 Category: Middle East Health Source Type: news
Scaling up HIV testing and counselling is crucial for “getting to zero” World AIDS Day, 1 ...
Cairo, 29 November 2012 On the occasion of World AIDS Day, 1 December, the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean is putting the spotlight on the HIV treatment gap in the Region.
In the Eastern Mediterranean Region, the number of people living with HIV is estimated at 561 000. While experiencing the fastest rate of increase of the HIV epidemic in the world, the Region is providing the lowest coverage of HIV prevention, treatment and care services.
More than eighty-five per cent (85%) of people living with HIV in the Region who need life-saving antiretroviral therapy do not receive it.
The global theme for the Wo...
Source: WHO EMRO - Press releases - November 29, 2012 Category: Middle East Health Source Type: news
World Health Organization concerned over the emergency situation in Gaza
17 November 2012 The World Health Organization (WHO) is deeply concerned about the escalating situation in the Gaza Strip and Israel and its impact on the health and lives of civilian populations in the area.
As of noon Saturday 17 November, the Ministry of Health in Gaza reported that 38 people had been killed: 27 adults, of whom 2 are women, and 11 children under the age of 18. 3 people were also reported killed in Israel. 382 people in Gaza were injured: 245 adults, of whom 76 are women, and 137 children. Many of those injured have been admitted to hospitals with severe burns, injuries from collapsing buildings and head...
Source: WHO EMRO - Press releases - November 18, 2012 Category: Middle East Health Source Type: news
Children are targets of powerful food marketing campaigns World Diabetes Day: let ’s protect ...
Cairo, 14 November 2012 - The annual celebration of the World Diabetes Day on 14 November is a reminder that this disease remains one of the most serious and most prevalent chronic problems in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, threatening lives and the overall development in several of countries in the Region. Risk factors for diabetes are unhealthy eating habits and low physical activity, leading to overweight. These risk factors have been steadily increasing among populations of the Region, with the tragic result that six of the ten nations with the highest prevalence of diabetes in the world are in the Eastern Mediterr...
Source: WHO EMRO - Press releases - November 7, 2012 Category: Middle East Health Source Type: news
Children are targets of powerful food marketing campaigns World Diabetes Day: let’s protect ...
Cairo, 14 November 2012 - The annual celebration of the World Diabetes Day on 14 November is a reminder that this disease remains one of the most serious and most prevalent chronic problems in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, threatening lives and the overall development in several of countries in the Region. Risk factors for diabetes are unhealthy eating habits and low physical activity, leading to overweight. These risk factors have been steadily increasing among populations of the Region, with the tragic result that six of the ten nations with the highest prevalence of diabetes in the world are in the Eastern Mediterr...
Source: WHO EMRO - Press releases - November 7, 2012 Category: Middle East Health Source Type: news
WHO condemns attacks on health facilities in the Syrian Arab Republic
Cairo, 15 October 2012 - WHO strongly condemns attacks on health facilities in the Syrian Arab Republic and expresses deep concern about the serious implications of such attacks on medical personnel, patients and health infrastructure.
The recent escalation of the conflict has resulted in substantial damage to health facilities across the country, limiting access and the provision of essential health services.
WHO reinforces the obligation of all parties in a conflict under international humanitarian law to protect civilians, health facilities and health professionals during conflict. Health facilities must be treated...
Source: WHO EMRO - Press releases - October 15, 2012 Category: Middle East Health Source Type: news
Universal access to eye health can save millions from losing their sight and can boost the ...
Cairo, 9 October 2012 Avoidable blindness and visual impairment are global health problems which have significant economic dimensions. Globally, 285 million people are visually impaired, including 39 million people who are blind. The global economy loses tens of billions of dollars annually as a result of blindness and visual impairment, which affects families, societies and countries. In the Eastern Mediterranean Region, the population living with visual impairment is more than 23 million, out of whom 5 million are blind.
This Thursday, 11 October, the world celebrates World Sight Day. The celebration will focus on eye he...
Source: WHO EMRO - Press releases - October 9, 2012 Category: Middle East Health Source Type: news
59th session of the Regional Committee concludes
The WHO Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean concluded its 59th session by calling upon Member States to provide support to alleviate the suffering of refugees and internally-displaced persons in the Syrian Arab Republic and neighbouring countries. It also expressed solidarity for Afghanistan and Pakistan in their efforts to eradicate poliomyelitis and requested Member States to ensure that a 100% smoke-free policy is implemented in all public places.
Following the approval of the Regional Director's annual report for 2011, the Committee requested the Regional Director to take the necessary steps to ensure impl...
Source: WHO EMRO - Press releases - October 8, 2012 Category: Middle East Health Source Type: news
Noncommunicable diseases, maternal and child health and coronavirus in the opening session of ...
Members of the Regional Committee attended today the opening of the 59th session in the Regional Office
With a heavy agenda full of important health issues, and the features of a new health strategy in the Region, the 59th session of the WHO Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean opened today, Monday 1 October 2012, at the Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, Cairo, with the attendance of their Excellencies Ministers of Health and Dr Margaret Chan, WHO Director-General.
Dr Ala Alwan, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, in his opening address stated that the current challenges in the Reg...
Source: WHO EMRO - Press releases - October 1, 2012 Category: Middle East Health Source Type: news
The 59th Session of the Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean opens in Cairo ...
The 59th session of the WHO Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean will be held on 1-4 October 2012 at the premises of the Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, Cairo, Egypt. Functioning as WHO highest governing body at the regional level, with membership of the 23 Ministers of Health of the Eastern Mediterranean Region countries, the Ministerial meeting will address the five strategic priorities of Dr Ala Alwan, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean and his vision to strengthen work with Member States.
This is the first session since Dr Ala Alwan assumed his duties as WHO Regional Director...
Source: WHO EMRO - Press releases - September 25, 2012 Category: Middle East Health Source Type: news
Saudi Arabia hosts a conference on healthy lifestyles and non-communicable diseases in the Arab ...
Riyadh, 9-12 September 2012 Under the auspices of the Custodian of the two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the Ministry of Health of Saudi Arabia, in collaboration with the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, is organizing an International Conference on Healthy Lifestyles and Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs) in the Arab World and the Middle East.
The conference will be held in King Fahd Cultural Centre in Riyadh from 9 to 12 September 2012. The conference aims to create momentum for the implementation of the United Nations General Assembly Political Declaration on Prevention and Control of...
Source: WHO EMRO - Press releases - September 5, 2012 Category: Middle East Health Source Type: news
Australia takes on Big tobacco - The High Court rules in favour of plain packaging on all ...
31 August 2012, Cairo, Egypt The WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean commends Australia's landmark decision to dismiss the tobacco industry's legal claim against the country’s new restrictive tobacco marketing laws. The High Court ruled against Big tobacco in favour of the Australian government implementing a plain packaging policy on all cigarette packs. “This is not only a victory to the Australian government”, says Dr Ala Alwan, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean “but a real victory for the tobacco control movement as a whole”.
This verdict builds up the momentum for all other co...
Source: WHO EMRO - Press releases - September 2, 2012 Category: Middle East Health Source Type: news
Syrian Arab Republic experiencing severe shortages in medicines and pharmaceutical products
8 August 2012, Cairo, Egypt – The World Health Organization is reporting severe shortages in medicines and pharmaceutical products in the Syrian Arab Republic as a result of the current crisis.
More than 90% of medicines in the Syrian Arab Republic were locally produced before the unrest began in February 2011. Since then, economic sanctions, currency fluctuations, difficulty in the availability of hard currency and an increase in operational costs have negatively affected the production of medicines and pharmaceutical products. The recent escalation of clashes has impacted pharmaceutical plants in Rural Aleppo, Homs and...
Source: WHO EMRO - Press releases - August 9, 2012 Category: Middle East Health Source Type: news
World Hepatitis Day: 17 million people are living today with hepatitis C in the Eastern ...
Cairo, 25 July 2012. On Saturday, 28 July, the second World Hepatitis Day will be observed across the world with new information highlighting the seriousness of this disease and its widespread distribution regionally and globally.
Research and studies undertaken by the world Health Organization (WHO) in collaboration with its Member States and other partners show that hepatitis can be acute or chronic and may result in serious complications and even death. Viral hepatitis affects 1 in every 12 people worldwide. It affects those close to them too. Around 500 million people worldwide are chronically infected with two types o...
Source: WHO EMRO - Press releases - July 29, 2012 Category: Middle East Health Source Type: news
World Blood Donor Day
4 June 2012 This week, the World Health Organization and its partners celebrate the World Blood Donor’s Day. The theme is “Every Blood Donor is a hero”.
The WBDD is being commemorated this year while the phenomenon of blood supplies shortage in hospitals and clinics is increasing out of 80 countries where blood donation rates are less than 10 donations to every 1000 people, 79 are developing countries.
The WBBD aims at encouraging more people to donate blood, and identify the methods that should be followed by Health Systems and Policy makers to make blood transfusion safer and available to all the world’s populati...
Source: WHO EMRO - Press releases - July 20, 2012 Category: Middle East Health Source Type: news
