WHO Warns Gaza Flooding Could Trigger Surge in Respiratory Illnesses
Caalamka
Floodwaters sweeping through Gaza’s tent camps after heavy rains are setting the stage for a sharper spike in respiratory illness, the World Health Organization has warned, as hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians remain packed into increasingly cramped and fragile shelters.
“The numbers already show the pressure. Acute respiratory infections are 33,000 cases higher than at the same time last year,” Dr Reinhilde Van De Weerdt, WHO Representative in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, told reporters in Geneva from Jerusalem.
The WHO said deteriorating living conditions — compounded by severe overcrowding — are accelerating the spread of infection as Gaza’s population is compressed into a shrinking area.
The agency said the strain has deepened as the Israeli military expands its control by pushing forward the “yellow line”, a demarcation set under October’s US-brokered ceasefire.
“That means people are living in more crowded conditions, where of course the spread between humans of a virus is much more prone to spread,” Dr Van De Weerdt explained.
Nearly a million displaced people in Gaza live in flood-exposed areas
The Israeli military and The Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), the Israeli military agency that coordinates aid, did not immediately respond to Reuters request for comment.
Last week COGAT said that it had stepped up efforts to improve sanitary conditions before the heavy rain, in coordination with international organisations.
Respiratory infections now account for 11% of all consultations, the WHO said, warning that a combination of colder weather, flooding, overcrowded shelters and poor ventilation is likely to drive the share higher in the weeks ahead.
“It is shocking that just a few days of rain really showed us what the coming months will bring. And winter has not even fully set in. The worst really is yet to come,” Dr Van De Weerdtsaid.
According to the WHO, nearly a million displaced people in Gaza are living in areas exposed to flooding, including 400,000 in locations classified as extremely high risk.
The agency said floodwater increases the danger of contamination, while pooling water creates breeding grounds for mosquitoes and other pests. Persistent damp, it added, promotes mould and bacteria — key contributors to respiratory infections, particularly among young children.
A Palestinian family stands at the entrance to their flooded tent
Even as the WHO said most medicines are entering Gaza, it reported serious obstacles in bringing in laboratory supplies — items it described as essential for diagnosing patients so treatment can begin.
“To prevent outbreaks, we really call to let laboratory equipment enter Gaza today, so that we can avoid a public health disaster on top of a disaster,” the agency added.
