ABNA24 - The World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Tuesday of worsening health risks in the Gaza Strip as winter and the rainy season approach, amid difficult living and health conditions facing most of the population.
WHO Representative in the Occupied Palestinian Territory Reinhold Van De Weerdt said water quality and contamination remain a major concern at a time when residents do not have access to even the minimum quantities of water they need.
WHO data showed that microbiological contamination in water nearly tripled between January and August, based on the analysis of more than 6,700 samples. The proportion of contaminated samples rose from less than 6% in January to more than 18% in August.
Van De Weerdt said the increase in contamination was accompanied by a significant rise in cases of acute diarrhea, which increased from around 27,000 in March to more than 48,000 in August.
She warned that the approaching rainy season and winter would further increase health risks, with most of Gaza’s population living in overcrowded displacement camps and makeshift tents while piles of garbage have accumulated to heights of several meters.
Van De Weerdt warned that rainfall could flood displacement camps, spreading sewage, garbage and contaminated water into areas where people sleep, prepare food and care for children, increasing the risk of waterborne diseases.
She added that the coming conditions could also lead to the proliferation of pests, mosquitoes, mold and bacteria at a time when Gaza’s health system is exhausted and unable to adequately respond to disease outbreaks.
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