Source: World Health Organization - Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean |

Bringing health care closer to displaced communities in Somalia

Through collaboration with partners, WHO Somalia continues to support health care centres that provide a wide range of care and address the unique health challenges faced by displaced families

At the heart of Al-Adalada camp, west of Somalia’s capital Mogadishu, 49-year-old Hawa Sharif Ali has found a vital lifeline for her family’s medical needs. She, like the thousands of other internally displaced people (IDPs) living in the camp, depends on the health services available at the Sinkadheer health centre…

Source: World Health Organization - Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean |

How World Health Organization (WHO) is supporting cholera outbreak response in Sudan

The Federal Ministry of Health, with support from WHO and UNICEF, has conducted oral cholera vaccination campaigns in 8 states, reaching 7.4 million people

The Federal Ministry of Health of Sudan declared a cholera outbreak on 12 August 2024 after confirmation of samples from Kassala State, which has been reporting suspected cases since 22 July 2024. Fuelled by heavy rains and flooding, overcrowding and lack of access to clean water in displacement sites and…

Source: World Health Organization - Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean |

World Bank partners with World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to boost health care access for 8 million people in Sudan

More than 70% of hospitals and health facilities in conflict-affected areas in Sudan are non-operational

World Bank, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) signed a US$ 82 million agreement to improve access to critical health services for more than 8 million vulnerable people across Sudan and strengthen the health system in the country. More than 70% of hospitals and…

Source: World Health Organization - Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean |

Breaking the cycle: addressing recurring cholera outbreaks in Somalia

The latest outbreak occurred early in 2024 in the capital Mogadishu, with the districts of Dayniile, Dharkaynley, Wadajir, Kahda and Hamar Jajab particularly badly affected

Since the early 1990s, Somalia has suffered multiple outbreaks of cholera which, due to poor sanitary conditions, have affected a majority of the population living in internally displaced camps. The latest outbreak occurred early in 2024 in the capital Mogadishu, with the districts of Dayniile, Dharkaynley, Wadajir, Kahda and Hamar…

Source: World Health Organization - Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean |

Voices from the field: Hani Jilaow Mohamed, polio vaccinator in Mogadishu

The absence of a functional government made it difficult for aid workers like Hani and her team to deliver essential health services

In Mogadishu, one of the few cities in the world where the threat of polio persists, Hani Jilaow Mohamed, a dedicated polio vaccinator, has been working on the front lines of public health since 2005. Hani’s blend of skill and courage has made her a pivotal figure in the ongoing…

Source: World Health Organization - Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean |

Egypt is certified malaria-free by World Health Organization (WHO)

A total of 44 countries and 1 territory have reached the malaria-free milestone

The World Health Organization (WHO) has certified Egypt as ‘malaria-free’, marking a significant public health milestone for a country with more than 100 million inhabitants. The achievement follows a nearly 100-year effort by the Egyptian government and people to end a disease that has been present in the country since…

Source: World Health Organization - Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean |

Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

Children with lived experience with cancer and their families should play a vital part in the design, implementation and follow-up of programmes

Yazan is a 20-year-old Syrian who was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma as a child. The conflict in Syria and resulting humanitarian crisis meant that Yazan struggled to access treatment for his cancer, and he received little support from his school and community. “I was denied entry to my final exams…

Source: World Health Organization - Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean |

High-level mission to Sudan reaffirms World Health Organization (WHO) commitment, calls for urgent action to address and end the extreme health and humanitarian crisis

Much of Sudan’s health system has been devastated by the conflict, with more than 100 attacks on healthcare facilities in the over 500 days of conflict leading to significant casualties among health workers and patients

WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Regional Director Dr Hanan Balkhy yesterday concluded a two-day mission to Port Sudan, where they reaffirmed WHO's commitment to reaching all Sudanese in need and called on the international community to urgently act to end the extreme health and humanitarian crisis. During their…

Source: World Health Organization - Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean |

World Health Organization (WHO) condemns the increasing attacks on health care amid Sudan’s war

Since the war erupted in April 2023, WHO has verified 88 attacks on health care – including on health facilities, ambulances and transport, assets, patients and health workers

WHO is appalled by the increasing attacks on health care in Sudan, with 22 such attacks verified in the last 8 weeks alone. Attacks on health care are deplorable and a violation of international humanitarian law. Access to health care is already severely constrained in Sudan due to the war…

Source: World Health Organization - Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean |

Full COVID-19 vaccination in sight for 70% of Somalia’s population

One such initiative is the Somalia COVID-19 Emergency Vaccination Project, which has been central to the COVID-19 vaccination efforts to date and is set to continue until September 2025

Since COVID-19 was first detected in Somalia in March 2020, the country has made remarkable progress in limiting its spread and rolling out COVID-19 vaccination. Thanks to support from partners including WHO Somalia, almost 50% of Somalia’s population is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, as at 30 March 2024. But more…

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