NEW YORK CITY: More than 18,000 new cases of chickenpox, ectoparasitic infestation and impetigo, a bacterial skin infection, were recorded in Gaza last week, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Friday, as communicable diseases continue to spread widely across the besieged enclave.
Dujarric told reporters that acute respiratory illnesses and skin diseases remain the most frequently reported conditions in Gaza. Waterborne diseases continue to rise as well, particularly in Khan Younis, he said.
Health officials warned that the delivery of medical services continues to be constrained by shortages or high costs of fuel, generator oil, spare parts and supplies, Dujarric said.
The UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that operations continue to be constrained by insecurity, Israeli access restrictions and funding shortfalls.
Despite these obstacles, humanitarian partners assisted more than 970 families affected by 11 incidents across Gaza, Dujarric said. The incidents included airstrikes, new displacement linked to military activity and movement of the so-called “Yellow Line,” as well as fires in shelters and sewage flooding.
