26 June 2024 When we held our first press briefing on health emergencies after I took office about four months ago, I could not have foreseen the escalation of violence in our Region. The situation has grown more relentless and unforgiving, while life-saving aid remains out of reach for too many whose lives depend on it.  In Gaza, the health...

15 June 2024, Jerusalem/Cairo/Geneva -- WHO remains concerned about the escalating health crisis in the occupied Palestinian territory, including the West Bank, where attacks on health infrastructure and increased restrictions on movement are obstructing access to health care.   A spike in violence in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since...

15 June 2024, Cairo, Egypt – On World Elder Abuse Awareness Day 2024, the spotlight is on older people in emergencies. Older people often face mobility issues, chronic health conditions or social isolation –some of the factors that can hinder their ability to access aid, evacuate safely or receive timely medical care and support services. The chaos...

10 June 2024 Colleagues, Ladies and Gentlemen, I am pleased to join you all today to mark the World Food Safety Day. Food safety is vital for health and a critical part of the public health and climate change agenda. In the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region, an estimated 100 million people suffer from foodborne diseases annually, and 32 million of...

6 June 2024, Cairo, Egypt – “Prepare for the unexpected” is the theme of the sixth World Food Safety Day, marked today by the United Nations. Food businesses, governments and consumers can all help prevent food contamination and foodborne illnesses. Food must be protected at every stage from production to consumption. WHO and the Food and...

6 June 2024 My dear friends and partners, Dr Moeti and Dr Kluge, Colleagues, I am delighted to join you today to celebrate our colleagues’ achievement in completing the Pathways to Health Leadership for Transformation programme. In doing so, we are also celebrating another example of successful collaboration among our three regions. As I think...

3 June 2024 – Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing public health threat in the Eastern Mediterranean Region and globally. The Global Research on Antimicrobial Resistance (GRAM) project estimates that 123 834 deaths in the Region in 2019 were directly due to sepsis caused by resistant bacteria, while a further 341 097 deaths were associated...

30 May 2024, Geneva, Switzerland/Cairo, Egypt – Eight awards are to be presented at the Seventy-seventh World Health Assembly to people and institutions from around the world for their outstanding contributions to public health in their countries and globally. Four of the awardees are from the Eastern Mediterranean Region. A special awards...

31 May 2024 Young people are at risk. They are being targeted by the tobacco industry to take up traditional and new tobacco products. The industry is desperate to attract the younger generation. It is using different promotional activities, different products and even false health claims to achieve this purpose. The most recent data from the...

29 May 2024 – World Hand Hygiene Day (WHHD) has been marked for 16 years to advocate for hand hygiene as an evidence-based, practical approach to infection prevention and control (IPC) in health care settings. This helps limit the risk of epidemics and pandemics and control the spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Countries the world over,...