'All these rashes': chickenpox surges in Gaza camps
A surge of chickenpox cases is affecting thousands of displaced Palestinians living in overcrowded camps in Gaza. Health officials warn that the lack of clean water and the impossibility of isolating patients in cramped tents are accelerating the spread of the disease.
Why it matters
Underscores the severe public health crisis and humanitarian challenges resulting from the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
UNICEF said health officials had already recorded more than 9,300 suspected cases of chickenpox across Gaza in early July — Bashar Taleb Eight-year-old Ruba Saadeh spends her days confined to the tent she shares with her family in Gaza, her body dotted with inflamed red blisters as chickenpox sweeps through overcrowded camps like the one they live in.
Doctors and displaced families in Gaza say the highly contagious disease has surged in recent months as war has forced hundreds of thousands of Palestinians into cramped tent camps with no clean water for hygiene.
"The doctor told us she needs daily cleaning and should be isolated for 20 days," Ruba's 19-year-old sister Alaa told AFP. "But how can we isolate her? We all live in one tent."
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