Syria’s Ministry of Health reissued its epidemiological bulletin on Tuesday 22 September 2026, after a hiatus of about 15 years, making it the first to cover the entire country. The move aims to provide a database for tracking the spread of diseases, detecting abnormal rises in case numbers, improving early responses to outbreaks and directing medical resources.
Bulletin brings together early-warning and epidemiological disease data
The ministry’s Directorate of Communicable and Non-Communicable Diseases said the bulletin includes data from early-warning programmes, vaccine-preventable diseases, water- and food-borne diseases, and acute respiratory illnesses. The data allow health indicators to be tracked and analysed over specific periods, providing a more comprehensive picture of the country’s epidemiological situation.
Syrian Health Minister Musab al-Ali described the bulletin’s publication as “a cornerstone in strengthening the health information system”. In a post on X, he added that its reissue was a step towards improving the efficiency of the epidemiological response and supporting health security in Syria.
The Directorate of Communicable and Non-Communicable Diseases said the bulletin was “an essential tool for monitoring and assessing the health situation”, by tracking the spread of communicable and non-communicable diseases and analysing related data. It also provides indicators to help health authorities make decisions, set priorities and direct medical resources to areas and programmes that need them.
The bulletin also helps detect unusual increases in case numbers, strengthening the early-warning system’s ability to identify outbreaks and respond to them quickly. An epidemic is the sudden and rapid spread of a disease within a geographical area at rates exceeding the usual levels in that area. Examples include outbreaks of SARS, avian influenza and coronavirus.
Mustafa links bulletin to health-sector advancement
Syrian People’s Assembly member and doctor Mahmoud Mustafa said the resumption of the bulletin’s publication was “a pivotal step in advancing Syria’s health sector”, particularly as it covers the entire country for the first time. Mustafa also serves as chairman of the People’s Assembly’s Social Affairs and Labour Committee.
Mustafa said the bulletin provides the Ministry of Health with accurate and comprehensive data on early-warning programmes and epidemiological and communicable diseases. He added that this enables continuous assessment of the health situation and helps forecast any outbreak early, allowing the relevant authorities to direct rapid responses and medical resources effectively.
He said the programme was the result of sustained efforts that began in northern Aleppo during the years of the Syrian revolution and later extended to all liberated areas. Local authorities and civil society had taken part in implementing the early-warning programme in past years, he said, in coordination with the United Nations and the World Health Organisation.
Mustafa described the early-warning programme as “one of the most successful experiences witnessed by Syria’s health sector”, saying it had played a major positive role in confronting and tackling epidemic diseases, particularly polio and measles. He added that the programme later served as an early warning bell during the spread of cholera.
Data support programme assessment and community protection
According to Syria’s Ministry of Health, epidemiological data can be used to assess health programmes, vaccination campaigns and preventive interventions, as well as to strengthen coordination and information-sharing between relevant authorities and organisations. These indicators support the identification of health needs and the monitoring of implemented programmes’ results and their ability to curb disease transmission.
At community level, the bulletin provides reliable health information that can raise awareness of preventive measures and limit the circulation of rumours and inaccurate health information. It also aims to help protect groups most vulnerable to complications by providing information that supports understanding of risks and the adoption of appropriate preventive measures.
Vaccination campaigns expose gaps in vaccine coverage
The bulletin’s reissue follows vaccination campaigns carried out by the Ministry of Health in recent months. From 31 March to 26 April 2026, the ministry, with support from the World Health Organisation and UNICEF, launched a campaign to trace children who had received no vaccine doses or had not received enough of them, with the aim of closing critical immunity gaps.
Vaccination campaign data are one area in which the epidemiological bulletin can be used to assess coverage and results and identify health gaps. In February 2026, the World Health Organisation launched its emergency health and humanitarian response appeal for Syria for the same year.
The appeal aimed to support surveillance and responses to outbreaks and communicable diseases, strengthen patient referral pathways, and secure necessary medicines and medical supplies. In November 2025, the organisation warned that 7.4 million people in Syria had faced reduced access to medicines and treatment. It said funding cuts had affected 417 health facilities since the middle of that year.
Christina Bethke, acting WHO representative in Syria, said services at 366 health facilities had been suspended or reduced. She warned of a “transitional gap” as Syria moves from emergency to recovery, with humanitarian aid funding declining before national systems are able to take over.
