Children living in displacement camps in the Gaza Strip are suffering from the effects of a chickenpox outbreak which is spreading fast as a result of overcrowding, while the collapsing healthcare system in the war-torn enclave is not equipped to cope.
Across the many temporary resettlement sites in Gaza, extreme summer heat and poor sanitation are fueling the rise of chickenpox and other skin diseases among families who are cramped into these congested camps.
Parents tending their sickly children say it's a painful ordeal to see their young ones going through such an unpleasant experience.
"It starts as small blisters filled with fluid, then becomes like burns on the skin. It disappears from one place and appears somewhere else. My son suffers all night and never stops crying," said Hamdiya Al Masri, a displaced resident.
With entire families sharing the same tent, isolating infected children is a nearly impossible task.
"My youngest daughter became sick two months ago, then my other daughter caught it, and two weeks ago I became infected as well. We went to the doctor and took the prescribed medicine, but nothing has helped. We are all still suffering from chickenpox," said Abdullah Qanan, another resident.
With no political solution to the long-running crisis in Gaza in sight, more than 2 million displaced Palestinians are now facing a growing health crisis as Gaza's weakened healthcare system struggles to cope.
Doctors say they simply do not have the necessary inventory to provide treatment to those who are enduring this bout of chickenpox, as essential medicines remain blocked from entering Gaza.
"The disease first appears as blisters on the skin. Unfortunately, because people lack basic hygiene supplies, these blisters often develop into infected sores. Due to medicine shortages and the blockade on Gaza, we simply do not have adequate treatment for these patients," said Reham Hijazi, a family physician at the al-Daraj Clinic in Gaza City.
The scale of the problem is highlighted by the Palestinian Medical Relief Society, who note that health workers are struggling to respond to the thousands of new cases popping up each week.
"Chickenpox is one of the diseases spreading rapidly here. A UNICEF report issued three weeks ago recorded around 9,300 cases. Since then, the number has been increasing by nearly 5,000 cases every week," said Mohammad Abu Afash, director of the Palestinian Medical Relief Society in Gaza.
Aid agencies warn that without more medical supplies and improved living conditions in the enclave, preventable diseases are likely to spread further across Gaza's displacement camps and add to anguish of families who have already endured years of hardship.
Displaced children in crowded Gaza camps suffering from chickenpox outbreak
