Rabat – Exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, Doctor Riyad Qishta from Abu Youssef Al-Najjar Hospital in Rafah, southern Gaza, has confirmed the alarming spread of hepatitis C among the displaced population.
This marks the first instance of the disease affecting children, adults, and the elderly in the region, Al Jazeera reported.
Qishta attributed the rapid transmission to overcrowded living conditions, inadequate hygiene practices, consumption of non-potable water, disruptions in sewage networks, and the pervasive spread of wastewater.
The dire situation has overwhelmed the hospital’s capacity to cope with the escalating health crisis and the needs of the displaced population.
According to the United Nations, 1.9 million Gazans have been internally displaced.
The doctor highlighted the dangerous impact of the epidemic, saying that it has extended to chronic patients and children.
He warned of the potential complications, including liver enlargement and the risk of progression to cirrhosis, which may lead to coma in the brain.
This health crisis comes in the wake of intensified bombardment in Gaza at the hands of the Israeli Occupation Forces.
Israeli aggression has completely crippled the region’s healthcare sector, including targeting and deliberately bombing hospitals in Gaza.
In early January, Palestine’s Health Minister Mai al-Kaila said only nine out of the besieged strip’s 36 hospitals are partially operational.
She described the healthcare situation in Gaza as being “totally catastrophic” due to the acute shortage of medical supplies, medicines, and electricity.
In addition, Gaza’s medical professionals have been stretched thin, as Israeli attacks have killed more than 200 hundred healthcare workers.
Since the war on Gaza began in October, the Israeli Occupation Forces have killed at least 24,448 people and injured 61,504 others.
