Gaza Strip faces increased risk of disease spreading: WHO

The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Wednesday (November 8) warned that the Gaza strip faces an increased risk of disease spreading due to Israeli war bombardments that have disrupted the health system, access to clean water, and caused overcrowding in shelters.

“As deaths and injuries in Gaza continue to rise due tointensified hostilities, intense overcrowding and disrupted health, water, andsanitation systems pose an added danger: the rapid spread of infectious diseases,”said WHO.

“Some worrying trends are already emerging,” it said.

The global health body said that more than 33,551 cases of diarrhoea had been reported since mid-October, most of it among children under five. It used to be an average of 2,000 cases monthly in that age group during2021 and 2022, it said. WHO said that the lack of fuel in Gaza had led to the shut-down of desalination plants, which increased the risk of bacterial infections spreading.