Spread of Viral Diseases and Increase in Hepatitis Cases in Gaza
Factors such as the destruction of the sewage system, damage to waste collection vehicles in attacks, overcrowding in shelters, the use of communal toilets, malnutrition and weakened immune systems are contributing to the rapid spread of viral diseases in Gaza. The most common of these viral diseases and the most deadly due to medical difficulties is Hepatitis. In Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, located in the southern Gaza Strip, many children are being treated for Hepatitis.
Thousands of Hepatitis Patients in Gaza
Dr. Ahmed Ferrar, head of the hospital’s Department of Pediatrics and Obstetrics, told AA that the highest number of Hepatitis A cases in the world has been recorded in Gaza recently. It is estimated that there are thousands of Hepatitis patients in Gaza. While some of these patients apply to health institutions and state hospitals, many patients cannot go to hospitals due to limited transportation.
Hepatitis Symptoms and Risk of Fulminant Hepatitis
Symptoms of hepatitis include abdominal pain, diarrhea, and dark urine. However, some cases can progress to fulminant hepatitis. If a child reaches fulminant hepatitis, their condition worsens and their risk of death is almost certain. Fulminant hepatitis is a dangerous complication and result of hepatitis A.
Severity of Liver Failure Cases
Ferrar emphasized that Hepatitis is one of the biggest challenges faced by the Ministry of Health. “2-3 of our patients a week enter the fulminant Hepatitis stage. Some of them develop hepatic encephalopathy (brain damage caused by liver diseases) or liver failure, and 70 percent of these cases result in death. In other words, 2 out of “Every 3 cases that enter the fulminant Hepatitis stage unfortunately result in death,” he said.
Ferrar said that there is a vaccine for this disease in the world and that these vaccines are applied in most of the neighboring countries, but there is no vaccine in Gaza.
Successful Student Falls Into Coma Due to Liver Failure
Providing information about the condition of one of the children receiving treatment at the hospital, Ferrar said, “The child behind me was a very hardworking and successful student. He was the top student in school, very successful in his classes and had high mental skills “He is currently in a coma. His brain is in a state of standing still due to toxins accumulating in his liver. Since he has liver failure, these toxins affect his nerve cells and cause these involuntary movements.”
Precautions to be taken to prevent the disease
Ferrar also touched on what needs to be done to prevent the spread of the disease, stating that the war must first end, the border gates must be opened, and cleaning materials such as soap and shampoo must be allowed into Gaza. “The sewage system has completely collapsed. There is no fuel or electricity. Wastewater mixes with groundwater, which leads to the contamination of drinking and utility water. Therefore, the first step to prevent these viral diseases is to stop the attacks,” he said .
In addition, he added that children should be provided with access to foods such as vegetables, fruits, meat and chicken, and that if these conditions are met, the spread of the disease can be prevented.
They Have to Live in Wastewater
Zine Tabasi, mother of Ranin, one of the children receiving treatment at the hospital, said, “We live in a tent, wastewater is everywhere, there is no clean water or food. We go in and out of wastewater,” and added that The environment she lives in caused her daughter to get sick. Tabasi, who stated that her daughter first had a fever and then her skin turned yellow, said that the doctors told her that her daughter’s liver was inflamed and enlarged.
