UN Warns of Record Disease Spread in Gaza Amidst Crisis

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) warned Monday of record levels of disease spreading in the Gaza Strip, due to severe cold, wind and rain, along with the lack of access to vaccinations. This comes on top of the almost complete collapse of the health system as a result of the ongoing Israeli blockade and the prevention of the entry of basic aid, including medical aid. “In the midst of more than two years of (Israeli) war on the Gaza Strip, children have repeatedly been denied the vaccines necessary to protect them from preventable diseases,” IAEA Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini said in a statement on Monday”. The UN official added, “The harsh winter weather is tightening its grip on Gaza, with severe cold, heavy rain and floods accompanying it, which exacerbates the risks of the spread of diseases that have already reached record levels in the Strip”. He explained that “poor water and sanitation conditions in overcrowded shelters, and the collapse of the health system are factors that contribute to the spread of diseases in the sector.”. He pointed out that “UNRWA teams began yesterday, Sunday, in cooperation with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organization and local partners, the second round of a remedial vaccination campaign for children under the age of three,” who missed out on essential vaccines over the course of two years of the genocidal war committed by the Israeli occupation. “UNRWA continues to work to save lives in Gaza,” Lazzarini said. This is despite severe cuts in funding to the life-saving agency by the United States and its allies. Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza also warned of a severe health deterioration amid the spread of undiagnosed diseases, as patient numbers rise to unprecedented levels. The head of the Emergency and Reception Department, Dr. Moataz Harara, said the department has been receiving more than 500 patients daily, including around 200 cases suffering from acute respiratory illnesses with severe symptoms such as high fever, shortness of breath, extreme fatigue, coughing, and chest pain. He explained that the severity of cases varies depending on patients’ immune levels, with some recovering within days while others require hospitalization or admission to intensive care when treatment fails to improve blood oxygen saturation. He stressed that the cases are neither COVID nor seasonal influenza, but that the lack of diagnostic capabilities prevents medical personnel from identifying the specific viruses.