The EMHJ was launched in 1995 as a peer-reviewed medical journal. Starting January 2010 the Journal has been given a new format and is now published monthly. The EMHJ serves as a forum for the dissemination of biomedical information through the publication of scientific research papers on a range of topics related to public health with particular relevance to the Eastern Mediterranean Region. In this month's issue:An ancient scourge triggers a modern emergency; Arabic version of the Global Mental Health Assessment Tool-Primary Care version (GMHAT/PC): a validity and feasibility study; Predictors of smoking among male college students in Saudi Arabia; Salt intake in Eastern Saudi Arabia; Investigating inspection practices of pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities in selected Arab countries: views of inspectors and pharmaceutical industry employees; Pharmacovigilance in Qatar: a survey of pharmacists; Isolation and identification of Legionella pneumophila from drinking water in Basra governorate Iraq; Molecular typing of Mycobacterium spp. isolates from Yemeni tuberculosis patients; High prevalence of Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase-mediated resistance in K. pneumoniae isolates from Egypt; Prognostic factors of Atractylis gummifera L. poisoning Morocco; Case of acquired lobar emphysema mimicking pneumothorax in a neonate.