Gaza Health: Over 58,000 Chickenpox Cases
The Director General of the Ministry of Health in Gaza, Munir al-Bursh, announced the registration of more than 58,000 cases of chickenpox since the beginning of 2026, with more than half of them in Khan Younis. The National Committee for Infectious Diseases considered the situation an epidemic outbreak, attributing the spread to overcrowding in camps, water contamination, and sewage system collapse. Al-Bursh called for urgent action from relevant authorities and international organizations.
The Director General of the Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip, Dr. Munir al-Bursh, announced the registration of more than 58,000 cases of chickenpox since the beginning of 2026, noting that more than half of the cases were recorded in the Khan Younis Governorate. Al-Bursh explained that the National Committee for Infectious Diseases considered the current situation an epidemic outbreak requiring urgent and coordinated intervention at various levels, amid the severe deterioration of health and environmental conditions in the Strip. He stressed that the spread of the disease comes as a result of severe overcrowding in displacement camps, contamination of water sources, collapse of sewage services, accumulation of waste, and severe shortage of hygiene supplies, warning that the continuation of these conditions exacerbates the risk of the spread of infectious diseases and threatens public health. Al-Bursh called for urgent action from relevant authorities and international organizations to provide basic needs and improve health and environmental conditions, which would help contain the outbreak and limit the expansion of infections.