GAZA, (PIC)
The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) on Friday expressed concern over a “frightening increase” in hepatitis A cases in the Gaza Strip.
“People in Gaza are facing yet another peril: Hepatitis A is spreading, including among children,” Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of UNRWA, posted on X.
He noted that since Israel began its war on Gaza, the agency has reported nearly 40,000 cases in its shelters and clinics, against only 85 in the same period before the war.
“This is a frightening increase,” he warned.
Lazzarini attributed this rapid increase to the collapsed waste management system. “Piles of trash are accumulating in the scorching summer heat. Sewage discharges on the streets while people queue for hours just to go to the toilets.”
“All combined make a dangerous recipe for diseases to spread,” he added.
