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<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>  <rss version="2.0" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"> <channel> <title>WHO EMRO News</title> <description><![CDATA[World Health Organization - Eastern Mediterranean Region - News]]></description> <link>http://www.emro.who.int/</link> <lastBuildDate>Mon, 17 Feb 2025 12:17:27 GMT</lastBuildDate> <generator>FeedCreator 1.8.0-dev (info@mypapit.net)</generator> <atom:link href="http://www.emro.who.int/index.php?option=com_mediarss&feed_id=2&format=raw" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" /> <item> <title>Dr Hanan Balkhy’s visit to Kuwait</title> <link>http://www.emro.who.int/media/news/dr-hanan-balkhys-visit-to-kuwait.html</link> <description><![CDATA[<img src="http://www.emro.who.int/images/stories/media/RD-visit-to-Kuwait-9-12-February-2025.jpg" width="750" alt="World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Dr Hanan Balkhy paid an official visit to Kuwait between 9 and 12 February 2025. During the visit, Dr Balkhy met with senior officials and leaders in the health, industrial, investment, humanitarian and civil society sectors" title="World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Dr Hanan Balkhy paid an official visit to Kuwait between 9 and 12 February 2025. During the visit, Dr Balkhy met with senior officials and leaders in the health, industrial, investment, humanitarian and civil society sectors" /> World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Dr Hanan Balkhy paid an official visit to Kuwait between 9 and 12 February 2025. During the visit, Dr Balkhy met with senior officials and leaders in the health, industrial, investment, humanitarian and civil society sectors. Below are some of the highlights of the visit. <h3>WHO collaborates with Kuwaiti civil society organizations</h3> On 10 February 2025, the WHO office in Kuwait convened a roundtable meeting with the Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Dr Hanan Balkhy and key civil society organizations in Kuwait with the goal of strengthening collaboration. The meeting, held at UN House, brought together leaders from civil society, health advocacy groups and humanitarian organizations to discuss the pivotal role of non-governmental actors in addressing health challenges during crises. Dr Balkhy emphasized the importance of collaboration, saying: “In humanitarian contexts, civil society plays a critical role in bridging gaps and ensuring that health services reach the most vulnerable <a href="http://www.emro.who.int/media/news/dr-hanan-balkhys-visit-to-kuwait.html">Read more...</a>]]></description> <pubDate>Sun, 16 Feb 2025 12:17:26 GMT</pubDate> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.emro.who.int/media/news/dr-hanan-balkhys-visit-to-kuwait.html</guid> </item> <item> <title>Address by Dr Hanan Balkhy Regional Director WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region at the ...</title> <link>http://www.emro.who.int/media/news/address-by-dr-hanan-balkhy-regional-director-who-eastern-mediterranean-region-at-the-inauguration-of-the-poliovirus-environmental-surveillance-diagnostic-laboratory-oman.html</link> <description><![CDATA[13 February 2025 Your Excellency, Ladies and Gentlemen, It gives me great pleasure to join you in inaugurating the Poliovirus Environmental Surveillance Diagnostic Laboratory at the National Polio Laboratory in Muscat, Oman. This state-of-the-art polio surveillance facility marks a significant milestone in our collective fight against polio and reaffirms our unwavering commitment to public health. On behalf of the World Health Organization and the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, I take this opportunity to congratulate His Majesty Haitham bin Tariq, the Sultan of Oman, and His Excellency Dr Hilal bin Ali bin Hilal Al-Sabti, the Minister of Health of Oman, for their visionary leadership and steadfast support in making this laboratory a reality. For over two decades, Oman has played a pivotal role in supporting the polio eradication efforts of countries in the Eastern Mediterranean region. The National Polio Laboratory in Muscat, Oman, has been instrumental in testing stool samples from children presenting with acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) from Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen for poliovirus. With the introduction of this new lab, Oman will now also undertake environmental surveillance, which allows for the identification of the poliovirus in communities even before clinical cases are noted. The lab will test environmental surveillance samples collected from Oman and other countries. These efforts are critical to supporting countries, such as those in the Gulf Cooperation Council, in detecting and preventing any potential poliovirus importations. In Yemen, where the prolonged conflict has severely impacted the national health system, and variant poliovirus circulation is ongoing, timely testing by the National Polio Laboratory <a href="http://www.emro.who.int/media/news/address-by-dr-hanan-balkhy-regional-director-who-eastern-mediterranean-region-at-the-inauguration-of-the-poliovirus-environmental-surveillance-diagnostic-laboratory-oman.html">Read more...</a>]]></description> <pubDate>Thu, 13 Feb 2025 19:46:25 GMT</pubDate> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.emro.who.int/media/news/address-by-dr-hanan-balkhy-regional-director-who-eastern-mediterranean-region-at-the-inauguration-of-the-poliovirus-environmental-surveillance-diagnostic-laboratory-oman.html</guid> </item> <item> <title>World Epilepsy Day 2025 – a call for improved access to care in the Eastern Mediterranean Region</title> <link>http://www.emro.who.int/media/news/world-epilepsy-day-2025-a-call-for-improved-access-to-care-in-the-eastern-mediterranean-region.html</link> <description><![CDATA[<img src="http://www.emro.who.int/images/stories/media/epilepsy-fact-1.jpg" width="350" alt="Epilepsy facts" title="Epilepsy facts" class="image-right" />13 February 2025, Cairo, Egypt – To mark World Epilepsy Day, the World Health Organization (WHO) is raising awareness about epilepsy, a common neurological disorder that can affect anyone, at any age. An estimated 4.7 million people with epilepsy live in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. It is among the 3 most frequently encountered neurological disorders in primary health care settings in 20 of the 22 countries and territories of the Region. Despite its prevalence, barriers to care and understanding continue to exist, particularly in low- and middle-income countries and in emergency settings. Epilepsy is characterized by recurrent seizures which occur due to excessive electrical discharges in a group of brain cells. Seizures vary in their duration, severity and frequency depending on where in the brain the disturbance begins and how far it spreads. Symptoms can include changes in sensation (such as altered vision, hearing and taste), incontinence, tongue bites and other injuries, unexplained confusion, sleepiness, weakness, loss of awareness or consciousness and sudden uncontrolled movements of the arms, legs or entire body. Most of the causes of symptomatic epilepsy are preventable and treatable. Modern antiepileptic drugs are effective and relatively inexpensive. In up to 70% of people, epilepsy can be fully controlled by antiepileptic drugs. While epilepsy affects millions of people worldwide, stigma remains a major challenge. In many societies, people living with epilepsy face discrimination, social exclusion and human rights violations. They are often denied access to education and employment, undermining basic human dignity and exacerbating <a href="http://www.emro.who.int/media/news/world-epilepsy-day-2025-a-call-for-improved-access-to-care-in-the-eastern-mediterranean-region.html">Read more...</a>]]></description> <pubDate>Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:02:55 GMT</pubDate> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.emro.who.int/media/news/world-epilepsy-day-2025-a-call-for-improved-access-to-care-in-the-eastern-mediterranean-region.html</guid> </item> <item> <title>International Childhood Cancer Day</title> <link>http://www.emro.who.int/media/news/international-childhood-cancer-day.html</link> <description><![CDATA[<img src="http://www.emro.who.int/images/stories/media/WHO-and-partners-transferred-five-pediatric-patientsfour-cancer-patients-and-a-patient-with-second-degree-burns-from-Al-Ahli-hospital-to-Nasser-Medical-Complex.jpg" width="750" alt="The World Health Organization (WHO) and partners transferred five pediatric patients four cancer patients and a patient with second degree burns from Al-Ahli hospital to Nasser Medical Complex. title="The World Health Organization (WHO) and partners transferred five pediatric patients four cancer patients and a patient with second degree burns from Al-Ahli hospital to Nasser Medical Complex. /> 13 February 2025, Cairo, Egypt – As the world observes International Childhood Cancer Day (15 February), the World Health Organization (WHO) is highlighting the challenges faced by children with cancer in countries affected by conflict and emergencies. In Lebanon, the occupied Palestinian territory, the Syrian Arab Republic, Yemen and other parts of the Eastern Mediterranean Region, children battling cancer face not only the harsh realities of their illness but the compounded struggles that arise from conflict, displacement and limited access to health care. Childhood cancer is a leading cause of death among children globally. An estimated 400 000 new cases are diagnosed each year. While survival rates have improved dramatically in high-income countries, the situation remains dire for many children in low- and middle-income countries where access to diagnostic services, treatment and support services is often severely limited. WHO is working with governments and other stakeholders to address these challenges but the situation remains critical in the Eastern Mediterranean Region where conflicts and ongoing refugee crises have left many children with cancer without access to the lifesaving treatments they need. Hospitals are overwhelmed, there is a shortage of <a href="http://www.emro.who.int/media/news/international-childhood-cancer-day.html">Read more...</a>]]></description> <pubDate>Wed, 12 Feb 2025 22:00:00 GMT</pubDate> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.emro.who.int/media/news/international-childhood-cancer-day.html</guid> </item> <item> <title>Address by Dr Hanan Balkhy Regional Director WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region to the Second ...</title> <link>http://www.emro.who.int/media/news/address-by-dr-hanan-balkhy-regional-director-who-eastern-mediterranean-region-to-the-second-healthy-cities-conference-in-kuwait.html</link> <description><![CDATA[10 February 2025  Your Excellency Dr Ahmad Abdulwahab Al-Awadhi, Minister of Health of Kuwait, Ladies and Gentlemen, It is a great pleasure to join you here today at Kuwait’s second conference on Healthy Cities. Our health is impacted by where and how we live, and most of us live in cities. More than 60 per cent of the Arab population live in urban centres. So urban health matters. A Healthy City supports health and a good quality of life through access to health care, sanitation and hygiene. WHO’s global Healthy Cities programme has been active for more than 20 years and our regional Healthy Cities network counts 121 cities in 15 countries. In Kuwait, 18 cities are a part of this network and, impressively, seven Kuwaiti cities have already received WHO certification as Healthy Cities. In 2024, Kuwait University was officially recognized by WHO as a Health Promoting University. Kuwait is fast becoming a regional leader in promoting urban environments that support health, sustainability and community resilience. Across our region, Healthy Cities are driving innovation for public health through initiatives that range from creating safer streets to implementing efficient waste management systems and improving access to health care. Healthy Cities have a proven, measurable, positive impact on climate change by reducing pollution, promoting green spaces and encouraging healthy lifestyles. They also contribute to preventing risk factors, including tobacco consumption, physical inactivity and substance use. We should all take pride in this progress. Over the next two days, we will hear from leading global and regional experts about how they are driving this change <a href="http://www.emro.who.int/media/news/address-by-dr-hanan-balkhy-regional-director-who-eastern-mediterranean-region-to-the-second-healthy-cities-conference-in-kuwait.html">Read more...</a>]]></description> <pubDate>Mon, 10 Feb 2025 13:57:57 GMT</pubDate> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.emro.who.int/media/news/address-by-dr-hanan-balkhy-regional-director-who-eastern-mediterranean-region-to-the-second-healthy-cities-conference-in-kuwait.html</guid> </item> <item> <title>WHO Regional Director’s statement for the Executive Board 156: Report of the regional ...</title> <link>http://www.emro.who.int/media/news/rd-statement-for-eb-156-report-of-the-regional-committees-to-the-executive-board.html</link> <description><![CDATA[<img src="http://www.emro.who.int/images/stories/media/rd-statement-for-eb-65-3.jpg" width="350" alt="WHO Regional Director’s statement for the Executive Board 156: Report of the regional committees to the Executive Board" title="WHO Regional Director’s statement for the Executive Board 156: Report of the regional committees to the Executive Board" class="image-right" />February 2025 Esteemed Chair, Your Excellencies, Director-General, It is my honour to brief you on the 71st session of the Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean. As a new Regional Director, I was pleased to receive strong support from the Committee. The Committee endorsed a strategic operational plan which will guide implementation of GPW 14 in our Region. The plan includes initiatives to strengthen the health workforce, tackle substance use and enhance equitable access to medical products, for example by upgrading regulatory systems. The plan will also reinforce ongoing work to transform WHO, including streamlining operations, optimizing support to countries and leveraging partnerships through our groundbreaking Regional Health Alliance. Member States were keenly aware of the huge humanitarian burden in the Region and the need to bridge the gap between escalating demands and declining funding. The Committee adopted a regional operational framework for trauma care in humanitarian settings and a regional action plan for mental health and psychosocial support in emergencies, to enhance emergency preparedness and response. Several other regional instruments were also endorsed on key issues including: addressing antimicrobial resistance; enhancing health information systems; implementing Immunization Agenda 2030; strengthening local vaccine production; and strengthening health laboratory services. Thank you, Chair. <a href="http://www.emro.who.int/media/news/rd-statement-for-eb-156-report-of-the-regional-committees-to-the-executive-board.html">Read more...</a>]]></description> <pubDate>Sun, 09 Feb 2025 12:12:05 GMT</pubDate> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.emro.who.int/media/news/rd-statement-for-eb-156-report-of-the-regional-committees-to-the-executive-board.html</guid> </item> <item> <title>WHO Regional Director’s statement for the Executive Board 156: Poliomyelitis</title> <link>http://www.emro.who.int/media/news/rd-statement-for-eb-156-poliomyelitis.html</link> <description><![CDATA[<img src="http://www.emro.who.int/images/stories/media/rd-statement-for-eb-65-2.jpg" width="350" alt="WHO Regional Director’s statement for the Executive Board 156: Poliomyelitis" title="WHO Regional Director’s statement for the Executive Board 156: Poliomyelitis" class="image-right" />February 2025 Esteemed Chair, Your Excellencies, Director-General, Ours is the only remaining WHO region with endemic wild poliovirus. We have an immense responsibility, which the region has accepted with confidence and commitment. As 2024 began, we were on the verge of eradicating wild poliovirus in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the last two polio-endemic countries. But then came a resurgence, alongside outbreaks of variant poliovirus in Somalia, Sudan, Yemen and the Gaza Strip. I was privileged to visit Afghanistan and Pakistan twice last year. I saw amazing work by frontline health workers. We need to strengthen their capacities so they can do even more. Our strategy remains straightforward: vaccinate every child and keep up a robust search for poliovirus, to stop further spread. Achieving this is far from simple. Afghanistan and Pakistan face immense geopolitical, infrastructural, environmental and security challenges. But none of these challenges is insurmountable. In Gaza, during a humanitarian pause last year, over 560, 000 children were vaccinated against polio – thanks to WHO led multi-actor, multi-level coordination and the courage of communities and health workers. If we did it in Gaza, we can do it anywhere. Member States asked last evening about cooperation among countries. Our Region leads the way. The Ministerial Regional Subcommittee for Polio Eradication and Outbreaks, which I convene and is cochaired by Qatar and UAE, has united the region in solidarity, collective action and mutual support. WHO is convening the Health <a href="http://www.emro.who.int/media/news/rd-statement-for-eb-156-poliomyelitis.html">Read more...</a>]]></description> <pubDate>Sun, 09 Feb 2025 12:09:11 GMT</pubDate> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.emro.who.int/media/news/rd-statement-for-eb-156-poliomyelitis.html</guid> </item> <item> <title>WHO Regional Director’s statement for the Executive Board 156: Health conditions in the ...</title> <link>http://www.emro.who.int/media/news/rd-statement-for-eb-156-health-conditions-in-the-occupied-palestinian-territory-including-east-jerusalem.html</link> <description><![CDATA[<img src="http://www.emro.who.int/images/stories/media/rd-statement-for-eb-65-1.jpg" width="350" alt="rd-statement-for-eb-156-Health conditions in the occupied Palestinian territory, including east Jerusalem" title="rd-statement-for-eb-156-Health conditions in the occupied Palestinian territory, including east Jerusalem" class="image-right" />February 2025 Esteemed Chair, Your Excellencies, Director-General, The suffering in the Gaza Strip is beyond comprehension. Tens of thousands of people have died, and around 30 000 have life-changing injuries. The health system is ruined. Malnutrition is rising. The risk of famine persists. Families are returning to devastated neighbourhoods. Almost no health facilities remain intact. Our only comfort lies in the courage, dedication and resilience of the people and health workers. Despite unimaginable challenges, health workers are maintaining health services with minimal resources. They continue to serve even after enduring personal losses and while living with the trauma of the horrors they have seen. Excellencies, We are doing all we can to alleviate the suffering. During this ceasefire, our top priority is to restore essential health services and get health facilities operational. We continue to deliver medical supplies, fuel hospitals, respond to outbreaks and evacuate patients – all while navigating severe access constraints. Supporting mental health is at the heart of our response. We are ready to scale up our response. But we urgently need systematic and sustained access to the population across Gaza, and we need an end to restrictions on the entry of essential supplies. Equally critical is protecting civilians and health-care workers, expediting the evacuation of patients in urgent need of specialized care, and strengthening the referral system to East Jerusalem and the West Bank. We also need massively increased funding both to meet immediate health needs and to begin restoring the <a href="http://www.emro.who.int/media/news/rd-statement-for-eb-156-health-conditions-in-the-occupied-palestinian-territory-including-east-jerusalem.html">Read more...</a>]]></description> <pubDate>Sun, 09 Feb 2025 12:05:28 GMT</pubDate> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.emro.who.int/media/news/rd-statement-for-eb-156-health-conditions-in-the-occupied-palestinian-territory-including-east-jerusalem.html</guid> </item> <item> <title>UN partners unite for a healthier Eastern Mediterranean</title> <link>http://www.emro.who.int/media/news/un-partners-unite-for-a-healthier-eastern-mediterranean.html</link> <description><![CDATA[<img src="http://www.emro.who.int/images/stories/media/UN-partners-unite-for-a-healthier-Eastern-Mediterranean.jpg" width="750" alt="UN partners unite for a healthier Eastern Mediterranean" title="UN partners unite for a healthier Eastern Mediterranean" /> 15 January 2025, Cairo, Egypt – The Regional Health Alliance (RHA) Strategic Dialogue, Towards One Regional WHO-UN Health Agenda in 2025, convened 86 in-person and 11 virtual attendees, including the technical focal points and regional directors of the 18 participating UN agencies. Attendees from the 3 levels of WHO included assistant directors general from WHO headquarters, senior management, including directors of departments, and regional advisors and technical officers from the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, and representatives from WHO country offices providing critical field insights. Outcomes included the endorsement of a new RHA structure and Joint Action Plan (JAP) 2025 and the introduction of the 3 regional flagship initiatives. <h3><img src="http://www.emro.who.int/images/stories/media/Director-of-Programme-Management-at-the-Regional-Office-for-the-Eastern-Mediterranean-Dr-Adham-Ismail.jpg" width="350" alt="Director of Programme Management at the Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean Dr Adham Ismail. Photo credit: WHO" title="Director of Programme Management at the Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean Dr Adham Ismail. Photo credit: WHO" />Director of Programme Management at the Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean Dr Adham Ismail. Photo credit: WHOReshaping RHA for greater impact</h3> The new RHA structure aims to sharpen the focus on primary health care for universal health coverage; health determinants, risk factors and community engagement; health emergency preparedness and response, and research, innovation and evidence-informed policy. Director of Programme Management at the Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean Dr Adham Ismail underlined <a href="http://www.emro.who.int/media/news/un-partners-unite-for-a-healthier-eastern-mediterranean.html">Read more...</a>]]></description> <pubDate>Thu, 06 Feb 2025 12:52:57 GMT</pubDate> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.emro.who.int/media/news/un-partners-unite-for-a-healthier-eastern-mediterranean.html</guid> </item> <item> <title>Regional Director opening remarks at the emergencies press briefing</title> <link>http://www.emro.who.int/media/news/regional-director-opening-remarks-at-the-emergencies-press-briefing-29-january-2025.html</link> <description><![CDATA[29 January 2025 Good afternoon to all journalists and media representatives, and thank you for your continued efforts to shed light on the humanitarian and health situation in our Region — home to some of the most vulnerable people on the planet today. For the first time since I took office, we find ourselves in a moment of fragile hope. A ceasefire is holding in Gaza, another has been extended in Lebanon. Syria has recently faced a swift transition. I want to begin this briefing by expressing my hope— that not only do these ceasefires endure, but that they pave the way for a lasting cessation of hostilities. Just like one little boy named Ashraf from Gaza said, “We hope that the ceasefire is for real... do not let us down like every time.” Many of you may have seen the heartbreaking images of families returning to north Gaza—to places where their homes once were, where now only rubble remains. Hundreds of thousands have come back to devastated neighborhoods with almost no health facility remaining intact. During these weeks of ceasefire, our top priority is to restore essential health services and make hospitals and health facilities operational as swiftly as possible. The psychological trauma facing the people of Gaza is unspeakable. This is a place where everyone is grieving. They have endured unimaginable violence, months of insufficient food, scarce water, and nights haunted by the relentless sound of drones. The collective trauma is profound and beyond measure. Supporting mental health is a key aspect <a href="http://www.emro.who.int/media/news/regional-director-opening-remarks-at-the-emergencies-press-briefing-29-january-2025.html">Read more...</a>]]></description> <pubDate>Wed, 29 Jan 2025 10:54:58 GMT</pubDate> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.emro.who.int/media/news/regional-director-opening-remarks-at-the-emergencies-press-briefing-29-january-2025.html</guid> </item> </channel> </rss>