Gaza health crisis: WHO warns of rising infectious diseases amid conflict

In the context of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, the World Health Organization (WHO) warns of the growing threat of infectious diseases in the Gaza Strip. The director-general of the UN health agency, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, expressed concern about the situation faced by thousands of displaced people, who are taking refuge in overcrowded facilities without adequate sanitary conditions. The numbers are alarming,” said Ghebreyesus, who detailed the increase in cases of various infectious diseases. From mid-October to mid-December, there have been approximately 180,000 cases of upper respiratory tract infections, 136,400 cases of diarrhoea (more than half in children under five years of age), 55,400 cases of lice and scabies, 42,700 cases of skin rash, including more than 4,700 cases of impetigo, 5,330 cases of chickenpox, 4,683 cases of acute jaundice syndrome and 126 cases of meningitis. Against this backdrop, WHO and its partners are stepping up efforts to support local health authorities. Work is underway to provide medicines, test kits and improve access to clean water, food, hygiene and sanitation with the aim of controlling these infectious diseases, including hepatitis. Meanwhile, the conflict persists, with Israel committed to dismantling Hamas to prevent future attacks like the one on October 7, which resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and the kidnapping of 240 others, including Argentine citizens. Hamas’ health ministry reported that at least 21,500 Palestinians, mostly women and children, were killed in Israeli bombardments or fighting in Gaza.

Original source in Spanish