As the forced displacement crisis continues, shelters and tents have become breeding grounds for disease due to a lack of proper ventilation. With the sharp rise in temperatures, these overcrowded spaces have become ideal environments for the growth and spread of viruses and contagious skin diseases, most notably smallpox.
One displaced person in Deir al-Balah told Al Jazeera that the tents are scorching hot during the day, and there is no clean water for bathing or drinking. Red blisters have begun appearing on children’s bodies, raising fears of an outbreak that the health sector and the people of Gaza are ill-equipped to handle.
The suffocating overcrowding is a major factor fueling health concerns, as entire families are crammed into extremely small spaces, making social distancing or quarantine impossible.
The lack of water and sanitation, the complete cutoff of potable water, and the severe shortage of cleaning and disinfectant supplies prevent displaced people from maintaining personal hygiene.
What exacerbates the already dire situation is the deterioration of the healthcare system, particularly after most hospitals and health centers were rendered inoperable, and due to the scarcity of medications, antiviral drugs, and skin itch relievers.
Health experts in the sector confirm that the absence of basic services such as waste collection and access to potable water directly contributes to the rapid spread of infection. Doctors warn that children, pregnant women, and immunocompromised patients contracting smallpox under these circumstances could face serious and fatal complications, at a time when the healthcare sector is unable to provide even basic care.
For his part, Munir al-Barsh, Director General of the Ministry of Health in Gaza, confirmed that the current health situation in the Strip is witnessing a significant increase in the spread of infectious diseases, primarily smallpox, as daily life has become a fertile ground for the spread of diseases and epidemics.
