The spread of diseases in Gaza has reportedly intensified, particularly due to the recent mass displacements across the south of Gaza. This situation adds strain to an already overwhelmed health system, which is struggling to meet people’s immense needs. On 29 December, the head of WHO in the occupied Palestinian territory that people living in shelters in Gaza have continued to fall ill. Close to 180,000 people are suffering from upper respiratory infections; there are 136,400 cases of diarrhea (half of these among children under the age of five); 55,400 cases of lice and scabies; 5,330 cases of chickenpox; 42,700 cases of skin rash (including 4,722 cases of impetigo); 4,683 cases of Acute Jaundice Syndrome; and 126 cases of meningitis (data covering mid-October to mid-December).
According to WHO, as of 27 December, 13 out of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are partially functional; nine in the south and four in the north. Those in the north have been offering maternity, trauma, and emergency care services. However, they face challenges such as a shortage of medical staff, including specialized surgeons, neurosurgeons, and intensive care staff, as well as a lack of medical supplies such as anesthesia, antibiotics, pain relief medicines, and external fixators. Additionally, they have an urgent need for fuel, food, and drinking water. The situation of hospitals and the level of functionality depend on fluctuating capacity and minimum level of supplies being able to reach the facilities. The nine partially functional hospitals in the south are operating at three times their capacity, while facing critical shortages of basic supplies and fuel. MoH in Gaza, occupancy rates are reaching 206 per cent in inpatient departments and 250 per cent in intensive care units.
Read the full report: Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel | Flash Update #82
Some 1.9 million people in Gaza have begun 2024 in a state of displacement. "We cannot talk about safety anywhere," stated the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. "People are sleeping in the streets, out in the open." Improvised tent camp in Rafah. Photo by the World Food Programme
