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Diseases sweeping Gaza, hitting strained healthcare system hard

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Reuters + agencies
14 Dec 2023 18:47
4 Shares

Gaza is grappling with a health emergency exacerbated by cold weather, overcrowded shelters, scarce food, and contaminated water, which has resulted in a surge of infectious diseases.

Palestinian children stand outside their makeshift tent at a camp set up in a schoolyard in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip where most civilians have taken refuge after being forcibly displaced due to the Israeli aggression, on December 13, 2023. (AFP)

Diseases pose a new threat to Gazans as the health situation in the southern Gaza Strip has reached a catastrophic state. Hundreds of thousands of traumatized people, grappling with the scarcity of food, clean water, and adequate shelter, are vulnerable to epidemics in the besieged Strip.

With the healthcare system severely strained, 10 medical professionals and aid workers said, as quoted by Reuters, that the likelihood of widespread diseases is inevitable.

'The perfect storm for disease has begun'

From November 29 to December 10, reported cases of diarrhea in children under five surged by 66% to reach 59,895, while the same period saw a 55% increase in cases for the general population, as per data from the World Health Organization (WHO).

"The perfect storm for disease has begun. Now it's about, 'How bad will it get?'" James Elder, the chief spokesperson for the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), said as quoted by Reuters on Tuesday.

The United Nations agency acknowledged that these figures were unavoidably incomplete due to the breakdown of systems and services in Gaza resulting from the brutal Israeli aggression.

#Gaza is grappling with a health emergency exacerbated by cold weather, overcrowded shelters, scarce food, and contaminated water which has resulted in a surge of infectious diseases. The dire situation has overwhelmed hospitals, leaving the sick with limited treatment options.… pic.twitter.com/JY8O5Unwuo
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) December 14, 2023

Dr. Ahmed al-Farra, the head of the pediatric ward at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, said, as quoted by Reuters, that his ward was overwhelmed with children experiencing severe dehydration, leading to kidney failure in some instances. The incidence of severe diarrhea was reported to be four times higher than the usual rate.

Al-Farra mentioned being aware of 15 to 30 cases of Hepatitis A in Khan Younis over the past fortnight, stating, "The virus has an incubation period of three weeks to a month, so there is anticipated to be a surge in Hepatitis A cases after a month."

Since the temporary pause expired on December 1, hundreds of thousands of Gazans were forcibly displaced and moved to makeshift shelters, including abandoned buildings, schools, and tents. Many others are sleeping outdoors with limited access to toilets or bathing water, as noted by aid workers.

The ongoing war on hospitals

Meanwhile, as of December 10, 21 out of Gaza Strip's 36 hospitals are shut, 11 are operating partially, and four are minimally operational, according to World Health Organization (WHO) data.

Marie-Aure Perreaut, the emergency medical coordinator for MSF's Gaza operations, mentioned that the medical charity had vacated a health center in Khan Younis 10 days ago due to "Israel's" evacuation orders for the area. The health center had been addressing respiratory tract infections, diarrhea, and skin infections.

She stated that two outcomes are now unavoidable.

"The first is an epidemic of something like dysentery will spread across Gaza if we continue at this pace of cases, and the other certainty is that neither the Ministry of Health nor the humanitarian organizations will be able to support the response to those epidemics," she said.

'Practice of medicine is under attack'

Academic researchers from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine issued a warning in a report dated November 6, one month after the beginning of the brutal Israeli aggression on Gaza. The report highlighted the escalating indirect health effects of the war over time. Two months into the ongoing genocide, the researchers anticipated an increased burden of infant malnutrition due to disrupted feeding and care, worsening nutrition for mothers.

"Many of the shelters are overwhelmed with people seeking safety, with four or five times their capacity," said Juliette Touma, UNRWA's director of communications. "Most of the shelters are not equipped with toilets or showers or clean water."

"The practice of medicine is under attack," she said.

The Health Ministry in Gaza reported on Wednesday that over 300 staff members and medics from the Gazan Ministry have lost their lives since October 7.

Childhood vaccines had been depleted

On Wednesday, Gaza's Health Ministry declared that its stocks of childhood vaccines had been depleted. Overnight, intense winds and heavy rain tore through the fragile tents at a camp in Rafah, causing flooding and forcing forcibly displaced Gazans to endure a cold night on wet sand.

The United Nations is monitoring the occurrence of 14 diseases with "epidemic potential" in Gaza. Of particular concern are surging rates of dysentery, watery diarrhea, and acute respiratory infections, according to a list obtained by Reuters on Tuesday.

The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees warned Wednesday that the people of #Gaza were "running out of time and options" amid the ongoing Israeli aggression on the Strip.

"They face bombardment, deprivation and disease in an ever-shrinking space," UNRWA chief Philippe… pic.twitter.com/9wJ5jseCrs
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) December 14, 2023

Dr. Paul Spiegel, the director of the Center for Humanitarian Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, presently in Cairo contributing to the UN response, warned that a diarrhea outbreak could occur imminently unless more aid trucks are permitted and access to clean water is improved. Additionally, he mentioned that the UN intends to initiate the assessment of acute malnutrition levels in Gaza's children by soon conducting mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) tests.

Amid "Israel’s" intense attacks moving further to the south, nearly a million #children have been forced out of their homes in #Gaza, and more than half the population is going hungry in the besieged #Palestinian enclave, #UN officials have stated further underscoring the human… pic.twitter.com/zDLcWA1qly
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) December 12, 2023

"When you have acute malnutrition, which is called wasting, people, they die from that, but then they are also so much more vulnerable to other diseases," said Spiegel.

'Children are drinking water that is unfit for human consumption'

Al-Farra noted that due to ongoing Israeli aggression, many families find it impossible to bring their sick children for timely care. Even if they manage to do so, they are faced with challenges in providing adequate treatment due to a shortage of medicines.

He emphasized that children are consuming water unsuitable for human consumption, and the lack of fruits and vegetables has led to vitamin deficiencies and malnutrition-induced anemia.

"Children are (drinking) water that is unfit for human consumption," he said.

The absence of clean water for mixing with infant formula means that babies are also experiencing hunger, according to doctors and aid workers.

Standing amid a cluster of tents near Nasser Hospital, Mahmoud Abu Sharkh, who was forcibly displaced from northern Gaza with his three children under three at the start of the aggression, pointed to the unsanitary conditions in the dusty camp. He expressed frustration that despite brief improvements, children become sick again after just a few days.

"The children get better for two days, and on the third day they are sick again."

Toll in Gaza reaches 18,787

In a related development, the Ministry of Health in Gaza announced the martyrdom of 179 Palestinians and the hospitalization of 303 injuries in the past hours due to Israeli airstrikes.

This brings the number of Palestinians killed in the Israeli aggression to 18,787 martyrs and 50,897 injuries. The Ministry emphasized that a significant number of victims remain under the rubble and in the streets.

The Ministry further confirmed that the Israeli occupation committed 18 massacres as it continued its genocidal crimes against civilians across the entire Gaza Strip.

On the 69th day of the aggression, the Israeli occupation persists in targeting the healthcare system in Gaza. In the northern areas of the Strip, the Ministry highlighted that the occupation has turned Kamal Adwan Hospital into a military base. The occupation forces demanded the evacuation of the wounded and patients to the non-operational Al-Shifa Medical Complex at gunpoint.

The Ministry also pointed out that this hospital's threat represents an execution for the patients inside and a threat to the lives of 12 children in intensive care due to the lack of milk and life support devices.

The Ministry warned that the occupation might repeat the scenario of Al-Awda Hospital by besieging and targeting Kamal Adwan Hospital, preventing water, food, and electricity, and blocking the arrival of the wounded and patients.

The Ministry reminded that the occupation continues to detain 70 Palestinians from medical teams and the wounded, including the hospital director, Ahmed al-Kahlout.

This is occurring as internet and telephone services were disrupted throughout the Gaza Strip, as reported by the Palestinian telecommunications companies Paltel and Jawwal.