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: Editorial: Small bite big threat: World Health Day 2014; Editorial: World Malaria Day 2014: Invest in the future. Defeat malaria; Knowledge and perceptions of prescribers regarding adherence to standard treatment guidelines for malaria: a comparative cross-sectional study from Pakistan; Laboratory and field evaluation of two formulations of Bacillus thuringiensis M-H-14 against mosquito larvae in the Islamic Republic of Iran 2012; Study on validity of a rapid diagnostic test kit versus light microscopy for malaria diagnosis in Ahmedabad city India; Rapid diagnosis of schistosomiasis in Yemen using a simple questionnaire and urine reagent strips; Brucellosis outbreak in Chouf district of Lebanon in 2009: a case-control study; Causes de de?ce?s en Tunisie : estimation des anne?es de vie perdues; Risk of aggression and criminal behaviour among adolescents living in Alexandria Governorate Egypt; Detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus directly by loop-mediated isothermal amplification and direct cefoxitin disk diffusion tests; Letter to the Editor: Proposal for further study of risk factors and health policy for human brucellosis in Northern Jordan.