From 12 to 19 November 2025, Dr Benedetta Allegranzi, Director of the Department of Communicable Diseases at the Word Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, conducted a technical mission to Iran.
Accompanied by experts from the WHO Iran Country Office and the Centre for Communicable Diseases Control (CCDC) of the Ministry of Health and Medical Education (MoHME), Dr Allegranzi visited key sites in Tehran, Tabriz in the northwest of the country and Bandar Abbas in south.
The mission focused on: ensuring procurement and availability of essential health commodities, including drugs and vaccines; strengthening responses to malaria and dengue outbreaks; addressing respiratory diseases and tuberculosis (TB), including drug-resistant strains, particularly among migrant populations; advancing the One Health approach, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and infection prevention and control (IPC); advancing hepatitis elimination efforts, and bolstering health systems through enhanced laboratory capacity and surveillance for diseases like HIV, neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), respiratory pathogens and vector-borne diseases (VBDs).
Engagements in Tehran
In Tehran, Dr Allegranzi discussed IPC and antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) with Deputy Minister for Clinical Affairs Dr Sajjad Razavi. Discussions during Dr Allegranzi’s meeting with Deputy Minister for Public Health Dr Alireza Raeissi focused on broader public health priorities.
Dr Allegranzi visited several facilities, including the National Reference Laboratory, the Pasteur Institute of Iran and the Valfajr HIV-VH Clinic, and participated in and delivered closing remarks at a 5-day capacity-building workshop for Iran's National Immunization Technical Advisory Group (NITAG).
Organized by WHO in collaboration with MoHME and supported by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the workshop aimed to strengthen NITAG’s evidence-based approach in alignment with the Immunization Agenda 2030 and regional framework for immunization.
A meeting with CCDC programme managers covered vector-borne diseases (VBDs), the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI), neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), TB and respiratory diseases, HIV, hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), water- and foodborne diseases, AMR, surveillance systems and fostering dialogue on integrated disease management.
Field visits in Bandar Abbas
The 2-day mission to Bandar Abbas focused on dengue fever response and broader communicable disease control. Dr Allegranzi engaged in meetings and field assessments, visiting Shahid Mohammadi Hospital, Touhid Comprehensive Urban Health Centre and the Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences (HUMS) Reference Laboratory.
Field visits took in migrant health services and potential mosquito breeding sites, allowing the mission to observe capacities in patient management, infection control, respiratory disease surveillance and diagnostic processes for VBDs, TB and other communicable diseases.
