2023-12-13 09:52:43
The Gaza Strip suffers from deteriorating health conditions in light of the war launched by Israel on Gaza, amid fears of the spread of epidemics among the population following the increase in cases of smallpox, especially in the south of the Strip, which is filled with hundreds of thousands of displaced people.
The director of Abu Youssef Al-Najjar Hospital, in the city of Rafah, Marwan Al-Hams, had previously warned that smallpox, which is spreading among displaced children in the city of Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip, would turn into an epidemic within days, in light of the lack of necessary treatments to contain this disease.
Al-Hams warned of the spread of the disease and its complications that affect the safety of the body’s systems, especially with the collapse of health conditions in the city and the shortage of hospital beds.
For his part, Sherif Hetta, a consultant in preventive medicine and public health, explained that smallpox and other respiratory diseases spread through coughing or sneezing, and infections with these diseases increase in the winter, as viruses are active in this season.
Hattah added to Sky News Arabia that the poor health situation in the Gaza Strip and the lack of appropriate hygiene methods, especially with the severe water shortage, constitute a suitable environment for the spread of smallpox.
He also stressed that smallpox is not dangerous and infects children and pregnant women at a higher rate due to their weak immunity.
Regarding the most prominent symptoms of this disease, the preventive medicine consultant stated that they are:
• Headache, fever, and tendency to vomit, with back and body pain in general.
• After a few days, bumps like pimples begin to appear on the body, which are red in color at first.
• Pus forms inside the blisters, and these blisters initially appear in the mouth and tongue and then spread to the hands, legs, and feet.
• During the period of these symptoms, the carrier of the disease can infect others, which requires isolation of the infected people.
As for the preventive measures necessary to prevent the spread of this disease, Sherif Hetah explained that they are:
• Isolate the patient as soon as symptoms of smallpox appear.
• Always clean hands and clean surfaces.
• Good ventilation.
• Avoid contact with infected people
• Giving the vaccine to those who have been in contact with the infected person, as there are two types of vaccine that can be given to those in contact, and good results can be obtained from these vaccines even if they are given a week following contact with the patient.
The treatment methods for smallpox are:
• Antibiotics specific to the smallpox virus.
• Antipyretics.
• Pain relievers.
• Creams are applied to the pimples that appear on the skin.
• Receive treatment if any symptoms appear.
Methods of dealing with smallpox in the southern Gaza Strip:
Regarding ways to deal with the spread of this disease in light of the lack of medicines and a suitable health climate due to the continuation of the war and the collapse of the health sector in the Gaza Strip, Hatta explained:
• Smallpox is not dangerous in any case.
• Fever reducers and anti-inflammatories can be sufficient if appropriate medications and vaccines are not available, while patients should be isolated so that they do not transmit the disease to those around them.
• Symptoms of diseases last from two to three weeks and then disappear spontaneously, even without receiving treatment.
• The danger of this disease is most apparent to those who have immune problems or are pregnant, and these are not many categories, as smallpox can cause complications that destroy the pancreas and expose the body’s systems to danger. Other than that, the disease is not dangerous.
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