Flu, skin diseases, diarrhoea
“We have noticed that, due to the lack of clean water for drinking or other uses, patients suffer from intestinal disorders and the flu virus, which is circulating widely,” says Mohammad Abu Zayed, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) health promotion manager in Gaza. “Lately, we’ve also witnessed children suffering from skin rashes due to the lack of clean water for bathing or washing.”
Other health risks include dehydration and hepatitis A. “The lack of clean water can lead to many diseases related to the quality of the water, such as diarrhoea and skin diseases, but simply not having enough water can also lead to dehydration,” says Marina Pomares, MSF medical advisor.
Cooking and personal hygiene are also affected, increasing the risk of infection. “The effects are worse for children, who have weaker immune systems than adults, and are more exposed to diseases and allergies,” she says.
Our teams are providing basic healthcare in two locations in Rafah. As of 2 February, almost 30 per cent of morbidities of patients under five coming to the MSF Shaboura clinic and Al-Mawasi health post were for diarrhoea or skin diseases.
Fonte original msf.org
