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WHO logistics hub airlifts its largest single shipment of humanitarian cargo to Ethiopia
Addis Ababa/Cairo, 11 September 2021 – The World Health Organization (WHO) Logistics Hub in Dubai delivered 85 metric tons of life-saving medical supplies to Ethiopia, the largest single shipment of humanitarian cargo to date airlifted by the Hub. The supplies, including essential medicines, trauma and emergency surgery kits, infusions,...
This summer our successful polio campaign came to a close in northwest Syria
7 September 2021 - This summer, WHO successfully concluded its Polio Vaccination Campaign in northwest Syria, vaccinating over 900,000 children across the war-torn region. The campaign, led by Dr Loutfy of WHO and Dr Yasser of the Syrian Immunization Group (SIG), initially achieved its monumental target of vaccinating 815,242 children under 5...
WHO counters surge in Delta variant with largest COVAX delivery to date into northwest Syria
6 September 2021 - With COVID-19 cases rising and hospitals in parts of war-torn Syria struggling to cope, there has been an urgent need to speed up the vaccination programme. This weekend over 358 000 doses were delivered cross-border by WHO Turkey into northwest Syria. WHO is pleased to announce that this is the largest shipment of COVAX into...
Improving lives in northwest Syria with support from ECHO
1 August 2021 – Each month we present some human interest stories about people whose lives have been changed thanks to the generous and continuous support of the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) and the relentless dedication of our partners on the ground in northwest Syria. The story of Um Khaled and her experience...
WHO’s partner in northwest Syria, INSAN, increases access to life-sustaining health services
1 August 2021 – With the kind support of the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) WHO was able to continue to support INSAN that means ‘human’ in Arabic. INSAN, is a non-profit organization that offers psychosocial support to Syrian refugees, plus training to those working in refugee camps. It was set up by a group of...
The challenges facing TB patients in Syria
Between July 2019 and September 2020, hundreds of tuberculosis (TB) cases were detected in northwest Syria. However, there are still several challenges and some missing links for the optimal implementation of the End TB Strategy according to World Health Organization guidelines. Rifampicin- and multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR/RR-TB), which...
Treating chronic disease amid displacement – The story of Warda
“Among challenges in past months is the general security situation, medicine shortages, and lack of personal protective equipment for our staff", the doctor says as he examines Warda’s foot. We’re in a primary health care centre in the village of Zardana in Idleb governorate, a short distance from the Turkish border. The centre is one of nine...
The double burden of internally displaced Syrians with chronic conditions – The story of Umm Abdullah
“After my husband's death eight years ago, I began feeling discomfort and constant fatigue”. The widow Umm Abdullah, 55, is one of between two and three million people that are displaced due to the fighting in northwest Syria; refugees within their own borders. Her husband’s death, one year into a conflict that’s been named the most complex...
Northwest Syria: Making a decimated health system work – The story of Mohamad
“It’s only recently I discovered I had only one kidney. My immediate thought was how I’d be able to provide for my family now that I’d need transport for regular hospital visits for treatment.” Mohamad*, 34, is father to two girls and a boy. He’s also the breadwinner of a family that’s been displaced several times in the last six years, due to...
WHO is investing in leaders to respond to health emergencies in the Eastern Mediterranean
WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean Region is building a cadre of leaders to strengthen its response to the unprecedented scale of health emergencies facing the Region today. The Region hosted a 5-day workshop at the Dead Sea, Jordan, for 25 response experts who are enrolled in a year-long learning programme focused on leadership in health emergencies. The...
