2023-11-09 05:47:19
The World Health Organization warned, on Wednesday, of an increasing risk of the spread of diseases in the Gaza Strip due to the Israeli air strikes, which led to the disruption of the health system, difficulty in obtaining clean water, and the overcrowding of people in shelters.
The organization added, “As the number of deaths and injuries in Gaza continues to rise due to the escalation of hostilities, the severe overcrowding in shelters and the disruption of the health system and water and sanitation networks add another risk, which is the rapid spread of infectious diseases. Some worrying trends have already begun to emerge.”
She said that the fuel shortage in the densely populated sector led to the closure of water desalination plants, which increased the risk of the spread of bacterial infections such as diarrhea.
While the supplies of food, water and medicine entering Gaza are very limited, Israel refuses to allow fuel to enter, citing fears that Hamas will divert it, despite appeals from the United Nations and humanitarian relief organizations.
The World Health Organization reported that more than 33,551 cases of diarrhea have been reported since mid-October, most of them among children under the age of five.
She said that the number of affected children represents a significant increase compared to an average of two thousand cases per month in that age group during the years 2021 and 2022.
Fuel shortages also disrupted solid waste collection, which the WHO said “created an environment conducive to the rapid and widespread spread of insects and rodents that can transmit or mediate diseases.”
She said that health facilities suffer from “the impossibility of adhering to basic infection prevention and control measures,” which increases the risk of infections resulting from severe injuries, surgeries, wound care, and childbirth.
She warned, “With the cessation of routine vaccination work and the shortage of medicines needed to treat communicable diseases, the risk of diseases spreading rapidly increases.”
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