World Health Organization ( O The BSH has warned of a significant increase in cases of respiratory infections in Gaza, where the situation is expected to get even worse as winter approaches. Heavy living conditions, overcrowding and floods caused by heavy rainfall are increasing the risk to the health of displaced Palestinians.
O Representatives In the Palestinian Empire, Reinhite Van De Weerdt has announced that cases of acute respiratory infections have increased by 33 thousand compared to the same period last year.
Shifrats already point to the size of the problem. The cases of acute respiratory infections are 33 thousand more compared to the same period last year, she said.
According to WHO, the spread of infections is being favoured by difficult living conditions and the concentration of large numbers of people in increasingly limited spaces.
The situation is also burdened by the expansion of Israeli Army control beyond the so-called yellow line, which sets the limit set under the ceasefire brokered by the United States in October.
This means that people are living in even closer conditions, where viruses spread much easier from one person to another, Van De Weerdt said.
Currently, respiratory infections account for 11 percent of all cases for which patients seek medical assistance. WHO warns that this percentage could increase by reducing temperatures, floods, overcrowding housing and lack of adequate ventilation.
It is shocking that just a few days of rainfall showed us what awaits us in the coming months. Winter’s still not fully started. The worst is still ahead, WHO representative warned.
According to the organisation’s data, nearly one million displaced Palestinians live in flood – prone areas, while about 400,000 are in extremely high – risk areas.
In addition to housing damage, floods increase the risk of water pollution, while collected water creates adequate conditions for breeding mosquitoes and other pests. The moisture also favours the development of mold and bacteria, increasing the risk of infections, especially among young children.
Meanwhile, WHO has announced that most drugs are getting into Gaza, but continue to have difficulty providing laboratory equipment and materials necessary for diagnosing diseases and determining proper treatment.
To prevent outbreaks of epidemics, we call for laboratory equipment to be allowed into Gaza without delay, so that we can avoid a public health disaster, on an already existing catastrophe, Van De Weerdt concluded.
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Source Layer: Signal