Some 117 million people across the World Health Organisation’s Eastern Mediterranean Region need humanitarian aid, as conflict, displacement, food insecurity and disease outbreaks continue to strain health systems, according to a WHO situation report.
The region recorded 13 acute and protracted health emergencies and 45 active disease outbreaks in August, while 80 million people were facing crisis levels of acute food insecurity. Nine of the region’s 22 countries were affected by violent conflict or social fragility.
Health services also came under direct attack, with 32 incidents against health care documented during the month, resulting in one reported death and 13 injuries. The occupied Palestinian territory accounted for 30 of the attacks, while Sudan recorded two.
WHO said disease outbreaks remained active across several countries, including cholera, measles, dengue and Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever. In Sudan alone, 2,730 cholera cases and 246 deaths had been reported by August 31, while dengue cases reached 85,782 across 15 states.
The humanitarian pressure was compounded by severe food insecurity and malnutrition. In Somalia, an estimated 1.88 million children under five were acutely malnourished, including 493,000 with severe acute malnutrition. In Yemen, 2.2 million children were acutely malnourished.
WHO said it continued to support essential health services, outbreak surveillance, emergency medical care and supply deliveries across the region. Its logistics hub in Dubai dispatched more than 400 tonnes of critical health supplies to acute emergencies in 10 countries during August.
However, funding shortages continued to limit the response. WHO’s appeal for Sudan was 19.3% funded, while the health response in the occupied Palestinian territory had a funding gap of US$211.4 million.
The agency said sustaining essential services, strengthening outbreak preparedness and mobilising additional resources remain key priorities as humanitarian needs persist across the region.
