24 January 2017 | Geneva – The World Health Organization’s Executive Board, currently holding its 140th session in Geneva, has appointed Dr Mahmoud Fikri as WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, following his nomination by the Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean in October last year. Dr Fikri will take up his...

4 December 2016 – As the conflict in Aleppo intensifies, WHO and partners are providing lifesaving services and health supplies for thousands of people fleeing to safer areas. More than 250 000 people in besieged eastern Aleppo city are facing dwindling supplies of food, medicine, water and fuel. All ten of eastern Aleppo’s hospitals are closed...

29 November 2016, Gaza – On the occasion of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, marked by the UN since 1977, WHO launched a 2-year report on health access today at an event in Gaza to highlight how the Israeli permit system and physical barriers obstruct health access for Palestinian patients, ambulances and health...

1 December 2016, Cairo – “Dignity above all” is the regional slogan of this year’s World AIDS Day, celebrated every year on 1 December. This year’s campaign in the Eastern Mediterranean Region calls on all stakeholders to work together to end stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV in health care settings. The campaign is...

20 November 2016 – On Friday 18 November 2016 WHO issued a press release strongly denouncing a claim recently published on the "Aswat Hurrah" (Free voices) website on so called illegitimate marriages during religious ceremonies. The claim that this information was released by a WHO headquarter’s communications officer is completely erroneous.  WHO...

18 November 2016 – WHO denounces the false information published on the "Free voices" website on 17 November 2016 claiming that one media official in the Organization made a statement regarding marriage during religious ceremonies in Iraq. The statement was completely fabricated and entirely against the role of WHO in protecting public health. WHO...

15 November 2016 ¦ Geneva ¦ Marrakech – Today, the World Health Organization (WHO) acknowledged the elimination of trachoma as a public health problem1 in Morocco.   Trachoma is the leading infectious cause of blindness worldwide. Transmitted through contact with eye and nose discharge of infected people, particularly young children, it affects...

Awareness is key to reducing antibiotic resistance  10 November 2016 – The second World Antibiotic Awareness Week will take place from 14 to 20 November 2016, with "Antibiotics: handle with care" as the slogan of this year’s campaign. The World Health Organization (WHO) is warning that humanity is heading for a post-antibiotic era, in which common...

Sana'a, 6 November 2016 — More than half of all health facilities in Yemen are closed or partially functioning, and there are critical shortages in medical doctors in more than 40% of all districts, according to a new WHO health system survey. Final findings from WHO’s Health Resources Availability Mapping System (HeRAMS*) in 16 out of Yemen's 22...

27 October 2016 – The World Health Organization (WHO) has released approximately US$ 1 million from its internal emergency funds to support the ongoing response to the cholera outbreak in Yemen. Since the outbreak was announced by the Ministry of Public Health and Population on 6 October, a total of 1184 suspected cases of cholera, including 6...