RIYADH: A proposal to evaluate the current status of HPV infection in the GCC countries was tabled at the 77th periodic executive body of the Council of Health Ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council held in Riyadh yesterday.
Dr. Tawfik Khoja, executive director of the GCC Health Ministers Secretariat,who chaired the Saturday’s meeting said that the proposed study was one of the technical issues taken up by the secretariat on the first day of the three-day meeting,which is being held in the capital. Human Papillomavirus, more commonly known as HPV, is a DNA virus which spreads through sexual contact. HPV consists of a group of over 100 different viruses, with at least 30 strains known to cause different types of cancer. The HPV group of viruses has a global prevalence of approximately 10-22 percent .
Over 100 types of HPV exist. Some HPV types are termed “low-risk” since they cause only benign skin warts, whereas high-risk types of HPV can cause anogenital cancers, particularly cervical neoplasia, or cervical cancer. Among high risk strains, HPV 16 and 18 are most common among cervical cancer patients (associated with 50.5 percent and 13.1 percent of cervical cancers, respectively). Most women are probably infected with at least one if not several types of HPV strains during their sexual life.
Most low-grade cervical lesions spontaneously regress, but approximately 10 to 13 percent will progress to a high-grade lesion, which will eventually put the individual at risk for invasive cervical cancer. Worldwide, every two minutes a woman dies of cervical cancer and each year more than 500,000 women will be newly diagnosed and more than 270,000 women will die.
Though the incidence of cervical cancer is lower in the Middle East compared with the rest of the world, most cases of cervical cancer are detected at a late stage when the disease may have become more advanced. Furthermore, in spite of the well-known benefits of the Pap smear test, a very small number of women in this region are tested annually, largely through opportunistic screening during a regular gynecologic examination. HPV related infections are less common in the Middle East region compared with the rest of the world, though the exact prevalence of HPV is not as well determined as it is for other countries. In recent years, several studies have attempted to study the prevalence of HPV in the general population in the Middle East region.
The Executive Board of the Health Ministers’ Council for GCC States in a published a report in 2005 on “1998–2005 Cancer Incidence Report of Gulf Corporation Council States”, which states that cervical cancer is the 11th most common cancer in the GCC states. The report further shows that between January 1998 and December 2005, there were 1,314 cervical cancer cases reported from all GCC states, accounting for 1.8 percent of all cancers and 3.6 percent of cancers among females.
The overall rate for women in all GCC States was 3.0 per 100,000 of the population. Qatar reported the highest incidence of cervical cancer (8.4 per 100,000 women) followed by Oman (7.8), Bahrain (6.5), UAE (5.9), Kuwait (4.5), and KSA (2.2). The UAE’s Cancer Registry Program revealed that the annual average of the reported cervical cancer cases had tripled in 2005 when compared with that from 1998-2004.
Khoja said that that the executive body discussed today a number of technical issues including the fight against non-communicable diseases, health care quality services , patient safety, complementary and alternative medicine, and the establishment of Gulf preventive and curative advanced cancer patients center , and the establishment of Gulf centers for anti-smoking and health research priorities in common.
The executive director commended the health care services rendered by the Saudi government for the Haj pilgrims under the guidance of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah. He also wished King Abdullah to get well soon from surgery ,which is expected to performed on him at the King Abdul Aziz Medical City National Guard Hospital in Riyadh.
The meeting will also chalk out the agenda for the 44th GCC Health Ministers Council meeting scheduled to be held in Bahrain from January 9 to 10.
Study to be carried out on HPV infection in GCC countries
Study to be carried out on HPV infection in GCC countries
Saudi Arabia expected to be among top tourism destinations by 2030, minister says
DAVOS: Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Tourism Ahmed Al-Khateeb said tourism accommodation in the Kingdom was expected to double over the next 10 years.
Al-Khateeb said Saudi Arabia, which has about 400,000 guest rooms at the moment, was projected to double that number to 800,000 by 2030.
The minister reiterated Saudi Arabia’s goal to be part of the world’s top seven tourism destinations by 2030.
“Saudi looks at why people travel and what they are looking for and understand what people want and focus on convenience,” he said.
The Kingdom’s tourism industry is growing at a rapid rate with the creation of mega-projects such as NEOM, a futuristic city on the Red Sea, and The Red Sea Project, which focuses on luxury and eco-tourism, expected to redefine global tourism standards.
Additionally, cultural landmarks such as AlUla, with its ancient Nabatean heritage, and Diriyah, the birthplace of the Saudi state, are undergoing significant restoration to offer visitors unique historical and cultural experiences.
When asked about how the Kingdom manages this growth, the minister said that governance in the Kingdom ensured coordination and that growth was not too rapid.
“There is no such thing as ‘over-tourism,’ but there is mismanagement of resources,” he said.
“Governments are taking tourism for granted. In Saudi we have a minister for tourism and a minister for culture. Having separate ones allows full focus and dedication on goal achieving,” Al-Khateeb added.
European Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism Apostolos Tzitzikostas said Saudi Arabia was setting an example for the EU in managing tourism and developing a strong travel industry.
With technology advancing rapidly, Al-Khateeb said it was important to use new innovations smartly in the tourism sector.
“This is a people-to-people business. Yes, we should use technology for ease and convenience, but people interaction is an essential part of the experience,” he said.
Saudi Arabia sends new aid convoys for residents returning to northern Gaza
- The assistance is part of a campaign aimed at providing essential relief to the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip
RIYADH: New aid convoys from Saudi Arabia have arrived in northern Gaza, facilitated by the Saudi aid agency KSrelief.
The assistance is part of a campaign aimed at providing essential relief to the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, the Saudi Press Agency reported recently.
The convoys delivered shelter kits, including blankets, mattresses, cooking utensils, water containers and other necessary supplies to assist residents returning to their homes in northern Gaza.
The Saudi Center for Culture and Heritage, the executive partner of KSrelief in Gaza, began distributing these aid packages promptly.
The aid aims to help beneficiaries meet their basic needs as they return to homes that have been destroyed or damaged, SPA reported.
The effort is part of a series of humanitarian and relief programs executed by Saudi Arabia in solidarity with the Palestinian people during their ongoing hardships.
Saudi Arabia’s FM announces landmark visit to Lebanon
- The one-day trip on Thursday will mark the first visit by a high-ranking Saudi official to Lebanon since 2015
- Prince Faisal bin Farhan welcomed the potential formation of a new government but emphasized the need for real reforms
DAVOS: Prince Faisal bin Farhan said on Tuesday in Davos he would visit Lebanon later this week, the first such trip by a Saudi foreign minister in more than a decade.
He made the announcement during a panel on diplomacy at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in the Swiss resort town.
The one-day trip on Thursday will mark the first visit by a high-ranking Saudi official to Lebanon since 2015, after years of strained relations due to Lebanon’s perceived alignment with Iran, its role in drug smuggling to Gulf countries, and ongoing instability.
Prince Faisal described the recent election of a president in Lebanon, following a prolonged political vacuum, as a highly positive development.
He said the Kingdom welcomed the potential formation of a government but emphasized the need for real reforms and a forward-looking approach to ensure sustainable progress.
He reiterated that the future of Lebanon rested in the hands of its people, urging them to make decisions that steer the country in a new direction.
“We will need to see real action, real reform and we will need to see a commitment to a Lebanon that is looking to the future, not to the past,” said Prince Faisal.
“And based on what I hear there and what we see, I think that will inform the Kingdom’s approach, but I have to say what I’ve seen so far and the conversations that we’ve been hearing in Lebanon, all allow me to be very much optimistic.
“We’ve always said, it’s really up to the Lebanese to decide and to make the choices to take Lebanon in a different direction.”
Prince Faisal also said he is “cautiously optimistic” about Syria’s future, citing encouraging signs from the new administration in Damascus and the resilience of the Syrian people.
He emphasized the need for patience and engagement from both the regional and international communities to help rebuild the country’s broken institutions and create a better future for Syrians.
“I would certainly say I’m cautiously optimistic. I may even lean further because you have, first of all, an administration that is saying the right things in private and in public, doing a lot of the right things, but also you have a Syrian people that are incredibly capable and incredibly resourceful,” he said.
He urged collaboration to build on recent positive developments, underlining the collective responsibility to aid Syria’s recovery, especially considering the willingness of the new administration in Damascus to engage constructively with regional and global partners.
“The reality is that they have inherited a broken country with no real institutions and they are having to build all of that from scratch, and that’s not an easy thing,” he said.
“So it’s up to us, I feel in the region first but certainly the international community, to engage, to come and build on this positive development and help Syria and the Syrian people see a much better future.”
Prince Faisal highlighted the importance of lifting the heavy burden of sanctions imposed due to actions of the previous regime, noting some progress with waivers from the US and Europe.
Prince Faisal was also positive about the region as a whole, including the Kingdom.
“We are certainly in a region that is abundant with risk factors, but we are also in a region that has huge potential,” he told the panel.
“I would say that even with the very difficult year behind us, we have shown that we can be resilient as a region and we can actually look to the future, whether it’s the Kingdom, or the GCC countries, and their ability to stay on track with their economic agendas,” he added.
He stressed the importance of avoiding conflict, particularly in light of tensions between Iran and Israel, and expressed optimism regarding the new US administration under President Donald Trump.
“I don’t see the incoming US administration as contributory to the risk of war. On the contrary, I think President Trump has been quite clear that he does not favor conflict,” he said.
“I hope that the approach will also be met on the Iranian side by the addressing of the nuclear program, by being willing to engage with the incoming administration in a way that can help us stay on track with this positive momentum.”
Also on the panel was Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani, prime minister and foreign minister of Qatar, who expressed hope that the ceasefire in Gaza between Israel and Hamas would bring much needed relief to the Palestinian people.
“Let’s be hopeful (about the ceasefire). It’s still a long way to go with what happened throughout the last 15 months negotiating this very difficult conflict,” he said.
“It showed us that everything can be resolved through talks and through engagement, through negotiations, and we started this week with good news.
“We have seen the humanitarian aid coming in, we have seen hostages going back and we hope that this will be a fair system toward stability now.”
Saudi deputy minister meets newly appointed Bangladesh ambassador
- Al-Sati wished the ambassador success in his new role
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Minister for Political Affairs Saud Al-Sati met with the newly-appointed Ambassador of Bangladesh to the Kingdom Delwar Hossain in Riyadh on Tuesday.
Al-Sati wished the ambassador success in his new role, the Foreign Ministry posted on X.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Minister for International Multilateral Affairs Abdulrahman Al-Rassi received Ambassador of Ukraine to the Kingdom Anatolii Petrenko in Riyadh on Tuesday.
During the meeting they discussed bilateral relations and topics of common interest.
Saudi Shoura Council official receives Norwegian women’s rights ambassador
- The pair discussed bilateral cooperation and explored several topics of mutual interest
RIYADH: Hanan Al-Ahmadi, assistant speaker of the Saudi Shoura Council, emphasized the positive impact of the Kingdom’s reform agenda in a meeting with Sidsel Bleken, the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ ambassador for women’s rights, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Al-Ahmadi, who provided an overview of the council’s legislative and oversight functions to the visiting diplomat, lauded the achievements of Saudi women across various sectors in the Kingdom.
The pair also discussed bilateral cooperation and explored several topics of mutual interest.
