Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser yesterday attended an event that marked the official designation of a research group at Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q) as a World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Center for fighting COVID-19 and other infectious diseases in the region.

As a WHO Collaborating Center the Infectious Disease Epidemiology Group (IDEG) at WCM-Q will support WHO’s regional and global efforts to promote health and wellbeing.

The group will do so by conducting and sharing scientific research and advising on policy decisions and public health programs in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR).

IDEG, which is led by WCM-Q professor of infectious disease epidemiology, Dr Laith Abu-Raddad, has a special focus on viral hepatitis, prevalent in EMR countries and considered one of the leading causes of deaths globally.

More recently the group has focused efforts on COVID-19, in addition to having worked on reproductive tract infections earlier.

اعتُمدت مجموعة وبائيات الأمراض المعدية في وايل كورنيل للطب - قطر كمركز متعاون مع منظمة الصحة العالمية لمحاربة لمحاربة انتشار بعض الأمراض المعدية في إقليم شرق المتوسط@TamimBinHamad @UN @HMC_Qatar @QatarAtUN @QF @IDEGQatar @MOPHQatar @WCMQresearch @QNRF https://t.co/mt03VG2SH4

— WeillCornellQatar (@WCMQatar) July 8, 2020

Working closely with Qatar’s Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) and Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), IDEG has played a prominent role in supporting Qatar’s response to the COVID-19 crisis.

“The members of the IDEG are doing fantastic work with senior experts and officials in the Ministry of Public Health and at HMC to ensure we minimize the spread of the coronavirus in the State of Qatar,” said Her Excellency Qatar’s Minister of Public Health Dr Hanan Mohamed Al Kuwari.

“Being awarded World Health Organization Collaborating Centre status at WCM-Q is a huge achievement, and further strengthens Qatar’s ability to fight infectious diseases that affect communities all over the EMR region and beyond,” she added.

 

She further said that the official designation reflects the success of the country’s investment in healthcare and research sectors and reiterates Qatar’s contribution to public health at a global level.

“On behalf of the health sector, I would like to thank Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation for her vision and leadership in creating a culture of research excellence in Qatar Foundation and in WCM-Q,” HE Dr Hanan said.

Here's everything you need to know about the virus, including ways to protect yourself.  To know more about testing for COVID-19, click here.

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Cover and Inline Images Credit: QNA