WHO records a surge in respiratory and stomach diseases in Gaza
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At least 369,000 cases of infectious diseases have been recorded among the population of Gaza since the beginning of the war. This is a stunning growth compared to the pre-war period.
Such assessments of the World Health Organization are based on data from the Ministry of Health of Gaza and UNRWA – the UN agency that cares for the Palestinians, writes The New York Times. They emphasize that it is impossible to trace the exact figures because the health care system of Gaza is practically destroyed.
The rapid spread of infectious diseases is explained by cold, wet weather, overcrowding of people in shelters and shelters, food shortages, and water pollution.
“When I wash my hands, I feel like they’re getting dirtier, not cleaner.” said 46-year-old Sama al-Farra, mother of 10 children. Her family lives in a camp for displaced Palestinians in Rafah in southern Gaza.
| UN warehouses in the city of Rafah in southern Gaza. Photo: Mahmud Hams/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images |
The sick also have extremely limited treatment options: there is a shortage of medicine in the enclave, and the medical facilities that are still functioning are overflowing with patients injured during airstrikes.
Respiratory infections (from colds to pneumonia) are extremely common, according to Shannon Barkley, head of health systems at the World Health Organization’s offices in Gaza.
Even normally mild illnesses can pose a serious threat to Palestinians, especially children, the elderly, and those with weakened immune systems due to their harsh living conditions.
Al-Farra herself claims that she and her children have had a high temperature for three days and are suffering from constant diarrhea and vomiting.
“We are all sick. All my children have a high fever and a stomach virus,” – said Sama al-Farra.
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| Photo: Anadolu/Contributor/Getty Images |
Marie-Ore Perrot Revial, the emergency coordinator for Doctors Without Borders, says the primary care system in central Gaza has been completely destroyed. Because of this, those who need basic medical care were left without treatment.
In addition, many trauma patients receive post-operative care in unsanitary conditions after receiving emergency care, resulting in serious infections.
The director of Abu Yousef al-Najjar hospital in Rafah, Marwan al-Khamase, said that in the medical facility he manages, the wounded often have to be treated right in the middle of the corridors. According to him, the floors there have not been washed for weeks because they cannot find cleaning products.”
Earlier, the WHO had already warned about “alarming trends” in the spread of infectious diseases in the Gaza Strip.
It will be recalled that on the morning of October 7, Hamas militants invaded the territory of Israel from the Gaza Strip, taking control of several settlements in the border zone and taking dozens of hostages.
In response, the IDF launched a counter-terrorist operation against the militants. On October 8, martial law was introduced in the country.
On December 4, the Israel Defense Forces announced that Israel was expanding its ground operations to the entire Gaza Strip. American officials predict that this phase of the operation could be completed by January.
Read also: WHO called Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza a “death zone”: what is happening there
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