WHO Calls Waterpox To Upper Respiratory Tract Infection Spreads In Gaza

Damage to Gaza due to Israeli attacks. (Source: WHO/PBB)

JAKARTA - The disease of waterpox, meningitis to upper respiratory tract infections spread in Gaza, Palestinian and international medical authorities said, as conditions of life worsened due to the ongoing siege and attack of Israel.

About 160,000 to 165,000 cases of diarrhea were recorded in children under the age of five, a top World Health Organization (WHO) official said on Tuesday, describing the figure "much more" than usual.

Competiture cases, meningitis and jaundice were also recorded in the enclave, according to Richard Peeperkorn, a WHO representative in the Palestinian occupation area.

"WHO is trying to set up a mobile laboratory in Gaza to analyze samples of jaundice," added Peeperkorn, quoted by CNN December 13.

Peeperkorn also warned that life conditions are difficult to contribute to the spread of disease.

It is known that about 80 percent of the population has fled after the Israeli military instructed hundreds of thousands of people to move to smaller areas of Gaza, amid the Israeli Defense Forces ground attack on Hamas.

Meanwhile, other essential medicines and medical supplies have been hampered by the closure of the Gaza border, which has provided little assistance.

More than 130,000 cases of respiratory tract infection and 35,000 skin rash cases have been recorded, the Hamas-controlled Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza said in a report published Monday.

In addition, the report also stated that there were at least 4,395 cases of chickenpox, 17,511 cases of ticks and 19,325 cases of kudis.

Peeperkorn described that disease spread has created additional pressure for the health system in Gaza that is "collapsed in the knee."

Peeperkorn said only 11 of the 36 hospitals in the enclave still function in part, stressing the challenges posed by staff shortages and soaring number of patients.

"Doctors are really forced to prioritize who gets treatment and who doesn't. And they handle a lot of serious cases directly in the corridor or on the floor or even in the chapel," he said.