Epidemic disaster in Gaza: 5,000 weekly chickenpox cases - Sarmad
Bassam Za’qout, Director of Medical Relief at Palestinian Medical Relief Society (PMRS), warned that the health situation in the Gaza Strip is deteriorating to unprecedented levels, confirming that approximately 5,000 cases of chickenpox are being recorded weekly, alongside the emergence of tuberculosis cases.
Za’qout emphasized that the Strip is witnessing a rapid spread of infectious diseases among displaced persons, noting that “around 5,000 chickenpox cases are registered in the Gaza Strip in a single week.” In a press statement, he explained that “the spread of diseases is linked to deficiencies and weaknesses in vaccination coverage and declining immunity, under the catastrophic health conditions caused by the occupation,” warning that “the registration of cases of infectious diseases such as tuberculosis raises concern and requires urgent intervention” to prevent the Strip from becoming a breeding ground for epidemics that threaten the lives of thousands of children and adults.
For his part, Ahmed Al-Farra, head of the pediatrics department at Nasser Medical Complex, announced the diagnosis of approximately 10,000 cases of chickenpox among children, a figure that is exceptional and unprecedented, with expectations of a rise in infections in the coming period.
Al-Farra confirmed that a two-year-old child died from complications of chickenpox, amid the absence of vaccines in the Gaza Strip and a continuous deterioration in the health status of children.
Al-Farra attributed the high number of infections to overcrowding in shelters, shortages of medicines and medical supplies, and the decline in healthcare services—factors that accelerate the spread of infectious diseases. He stressed that cases of malnutrition among children have increased significantly, while health indicators reflect widespread deterioration, with anemia rates among pregnant women reaching 50–55% and the abortion rate rising to approximately 47%.
Health experts link these alarming indicators to the systematic and deliberate destruction of the Strip’s health infrastructure, acute shortages of essential medicines and vaccines, inhumane overcrowding in displacement camps, and the collapse of drinking water and sewage networks. Field reports indicate that the collapse of the health system prevents effective disease surveillance and control, making catch-up vaccination campaigns, which local health institutions are struggling to implement, face major logistical and security obstacles due to strict restrictions on the entry of medical aid and the fuel required to operate remaining facilities.
In this context, PMRS renewed its appeal to the international community and the World Health Organization (WHO) to take immediate action and pressure for the opening of safe corridors to urgently import vaccines and medical supplies, and to work to stop what rights organizations have described as “genocide,” which targets not only lives but also undermines the foundations of life and survival for future generations in the Gaza Strip.
This health catastrophe is exacerbated by the horrific figures regularly reported by the Palestinian Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip. The cumulative toll of the ongoing Israeli attack since October 7, 2023, has reached approximately 73,269 killed, in addition to more than 173,811 wounded, most of them women and children, while dozens of martyrs and missing persons remain under the rubble with no possibility of reaching them.
