The Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) of the World Health Organization (WHO) continues to be a hotspot for emerging and reemerging infectious diseases and the need to prevent, detect, and respond to any infectious diseases that pose a threat to global health security remains a priority. Many risk factors contribute in the emergence and rapid spread of epidemic diseases in the Region including ...

Crematogaster (Crematogaster) jehovaevar.cypria Santschi, 1930 is raised to species rank. Two new, related species are described from the north-eastern part of the Mediterranean Basin: Crematogaster (Crematogaster) erectepilosasp. n. (Dodecanese, Greece) and Crematogaster (Crematogaster) gullukdagensissp. n. (Antalya Prov., Turkey). These three species are well distinguished from other species ...

Hereditary diseases and congenital malformations have been reported to affect 2-5% of all live births. Available evidence suggests that genetic disorders are equally important also in countries of the Eastern Mediterranean Region. Considerable achievements have been made over the last two decades in controlling communicable diseases in the region. Concurrently, there has been a mounting awarene...

The study provides the rationale, history and current status of the Index Medicus for the World Health Organization Eastern Mediterranean Region. The Index is unique in combining the geographic coverage of peer-reviewed health and biomedical journals (408 titles) from the 22 countries of the Region. Compiling and publishing the Index coupled with a document delivery service is an integral part ...

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is still one of the major causes of mortality and morbidity worldwide and is the main cause of liver cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma and liver transplantation in developing countries [1]. The World Health Organization (WHO) has estimated a 3% worldwide prevalence of the virus affecting more than 170 million people worldwide [2]. A clear geographical distrib...

459 As we mark World Hepatitis Day on 28 July, our attention naturally focuses on the relentless battle to eliminate viral hepatitis from populations suffering under the heavy toll of this communicable disease. The theme for World Hepatitis Day this year is “Eliminate Hepatitis”. Currently an estimated 325 million people worldwide are living with chronic hepatitis B or hepatitis C virus infecti...

Recent advances in genomics and biotechnology have ushered in a new era in health development. Therapeutic cloning possesses enormous potential for revolutionizing medical and therapeutic techniques. Cloning technology, however, is perceived as having the potential for reproductive cloning, which raises serious ethical and moral concerns. It is important that the Islamic countries come to a con...

BACKGROUND The early decades of the 21st century are considered to be the era of human resources for health (HRH). The World Health Report (WHR) 2006 launched the Health Workforce Decade (2006-2015), with high priority given for countries to develop effective workforce policies and strategies. In many countries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR), particularly those classified as Low and ...

the east mediterranean region suffers from high levels of air pollution which has a negative impact on pregnancy outcomes. this work systematically reviews the epidemiological evidence on maternal exposure to air pollution and adverse pregnancy outcomes in the region. relevant papers and reports published between 2000 and 2014 were searched. combinations of search terms including countries, exp...

1Technical Officer, Global Alert and Response Operations, Global Capacities, Alert and Response, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland. 2Director, Global Capacities, Alert and Response, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland. As more countries commit to hosting large, international mass gatherings, health preparedness planning is requiring more research and collaborative effort...