HIV, tuberculosis (TB), and malaria remain major global health challenges, placing a disproportionate burden on vulnerable and marginalized populations. Despite considerable progress in prevention, diagnosis, and treatment over recent decades, these diseases continue to cause substantial morbidity and mortality while reflecting persistent inequities in access to quality healthcare. Achieving global targets requires strong health systems, equitable access to services, evidence-informed decision-making, and sustained investments in prevention, surveillance, and community-centered care.

Across the Eastern Mediterranean Region, countries face diverse HIV, TB, and malaria challenges shaped by conflict, displacement, fragile health systems, population mobility, and socioeconomic inequalities. While tuberculosis remains one of the world's deadliest infectious diseases despite being preventable and treatable, HIV continues to disproportionately affect key populations, with only around one-third of people living with HIV in the Region aware of their status. Malaria remains endemic in several countries across the Region, where humanitarian crises, environmental conditions, and limited access to health services continue to sustain transmission. These challenges underscore the need for integrated, resilient, and equitable approaches that strengthen national disease programs while addressing the broader determinants of health.

Addressing HIV, TB, and malaria in the Eastern Mediterranean Region requires approaches that combine disease-specific expertise with broader health-system strengthening, surveillance, workforce development, community engagement, and cross-country collaboration. EMPHNET’s regional presence and partnerships with ministries of health, national programs, civil society organizations, and international partners position it to support countries in addressing these interconnected needs.

EMPHNET works with ministries of health, national disease programs, regional partners, civil society organizations, and international agencies to strengthen integrated responses to HIV, TB, and malaria. Through health systems strengthening, workforce development, surveillance and laboratory capacity building, operational research, community engagement, and regional collaboration, we support countries in enhancing prevention, expanding equitable access to services, improving disease monitoring, and advancing evidence-informed approaches to disease prevention and control.

• Supporting evidence-informed decision-making: Conducting operational research, surveillance assessments, and data-driven analyses to strengthen disease prevention and control.
• Building workforce capacity: Strengthening the capacities of healthcare providers, surveillance officers, laboratory personnel, and national disease programs through training and technical support.
• Promoting community engagement: Working with communities and civil society organizations to strengthen disease prevention, reduce stigma, improve health awareness, and increase the uptake of prevention, testing, treatment and other essential health and where applicable, vaccination service.
• Supporting integrated health systems: Enhancing national capacities and systems to support sustainable, equitable, and integrated HIV, TB, and malaria services through planning, monitoring, and implementation.
• Advancing innovation and digital solutions: Applying digital technologies and innovative approaches to strengthen planning, surveillance, reporting, monitoring, and service delivery.

Operational Research and Surveillance

We conduct operational research and surveillance assessments to strengthen evidence-informed decision-making for HIV and tuberculosis. In Jordan, we implemented operational studies to assess the burden of HIV and TB, evaluate knowledge, attitudes, and practices among the general population, refugees, migrants, healthcare providers, and people living with HIV and TB, and assess national surveillance systems. These efforts generated evidence to strengthen surveillance and inform national policies and programs for HIV and TB prevention and control.

Strengthening HIV Prevention and Community-Led Responses

We support countries and civil society partners across the Middle East and North Africa in strengthening sustainable HIV prevention, testing, and community-led responses for key populations. Through partnerships with national HIV programs, civil society organizations, and regional coalitions, we contribute to sustainable financing for HIV programs, community-led HIV services delivery, inclusive prevention and testing, and community monitoring to improve equitable access to HIV services and the effectiveness of national HIV responses.

Strengthening Malaria Prevention and Vaccine Introduction

We support countries in strengthening malaria prevention and the introduction of malaria vaccines. In Sudan, we support the Ministry of Health in introducing the malaria vaccine by developing digital GIS microplanning tools, strengthening electronic vaccine reporting systems, building healthcare provider capacity, conducting formative research, supporting risk communication and community engagement activities, conducting post-introduction evaluations, and documenting lessons learned to inform future scale-up.

Beyond vaccine introduction, we also support the implementation of an integrated community-based model for controlling mosquito-borne diseases in Kassala State, Sudan. The project strengthens community-based vector control through volunteer engagement, household larval source management, environmental clean-up, data-driven targeting, digital reporting, capacity building for local health authorities, and evidence generation to support sustainable vector control.