Skin diseases on the rise among Children in Gaza

CAIRO – 29 July 2024: Due to the ongoing Israeli genocidal war against the besieged Gaza Strip, piles of war and hospital waste, polluted sewage, contaminated potable water and temperatures rise have led to a wide spread of skin diseases like rashes and chickenpox and bacterial infection among Palestinian children.

Hussam Abu Safiya, Director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, said on Monday that there is a significant increase in skin diseases across the Strip, particularly among children, Palestinian Journalist Anas Al-Sharif reported on his Telegram Channel from Gaza.

There has been a steep rise in skin disease cases in Gaza due to the lack of sanitation supplies amid the ongoing Israeli war and blockade. pic.twitter.com/STjWHp35wo

— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) July 28, 2024

This surge is attributed to a bacterial infection affecting the skin, Al-Sharif added.

Additionally, skin infections are becoming more common among displaced individuals due to inadequate hygiene, poor ventilation, and limited access to medical treatment, he continued.

Some Palestinians took to X (former Twitter) asking for help to find treatment for her form the chickenpox. Nermin Abd (18 years old) posted her sister’s photo asking for money to buy her medicine amid the skyrocketing prices in the Strip due to the war. Nermin, along her sick mother and young sister, were forced to displace to Rafah where she lives in a tent with no basic needs of food and medicine.

My sister suffers from chickenpox. Please help me find treatment https://t.co/XiiZqZk4b2 pic.twitter.com/ValVSiGwGB

— NerminAbd🇵🇸🇵🇸 (@AbdNarman91955) July 27, 2024

Videos for another Palestinian lady complaining about lack of medicine to treat her only child she has after 22 years of marriage, amid no access to food and basic needs, went viral on social media. Her child also suffers from malnutrition

Also, Al Quds T.V. reported on July 26 that several children in the hospital suffer from skin disease due to accumulation of hospital waste.

Inside the displaced people’s tents, children also were not in safe from the skin disease because of the contaminated water and the scorching heat of weather, Al-Sharif reported on July 25.

The United Nations’ UNRWA reported on July 17 that that there is a rising incidence of skin rashes and infections, especially among children due to the absence of hygiene supplies or adequate clean water.

This 4-year-old boy is suffering skin infections due to appalling conditions his family faces, under plastic sheeting without access to hygiene supplies or adequate clean water.@UNRWA teams provide medication, but without improved conditions, the infections inevitably return. pic.twitter.com/V5xgQ7MjWv

— UNRWA (@UNRWA) July 17, 2024