Health Minister: Gaza on the Brink of Epidemics with Rising Rodent Threat

SadaNews - Health Minister Dr. Majid Abu Ramadan warned of the worsening health risks threatening the residents of the Gaza Strip due to the widespread presence of rodents amidst the severe deterioration of environmental conditions caused by extensive destruction and the accumulation of debris and untreated waste.

The ministry added in a press release issued today, Friday, that the current environment in the Strip provides a fertile ground for the proliferation of mice and rats, which increases the likelihood of many serious diseases spreading, either directly through bites, or indirectly through urine and feces, or through vector parasites like fleas and ticks. Among the most notable of these diseases are: Hantavirus, plague, leptospirosis (rat fever), salmonella, and tularemia.

Minister Dr. Majid Abu Ramadan called on the World Health Organization and all international health bodies to intervene immediately and urgently, by introducing rodent control materials and enhancing preventive and control measures, especially given that more than a million citizens live under fragile housing conditions, in tents or in the open, which multiplies their direct exposure to these health risks.

The minister confirmed that the health situation for children is becoming more precarious, with thousands of cases of permanent disabilities recorded due to the war, including loss of limbs or senses, along with the prevalence of malnutrition, which raises the likelihood of disease and increases mortality rates.

The Health Minister pointed out the dangerous environmental and health conditions affecting the lives of infants and children in the Gaza Strip and their future, reiterating his call to the international community to fulfill its humanitarian responsibilities and take urgent action to ensure the provision of health protection and improve the living conditions of the residents of the Strip.