Khaberni - Dr. Mohammad Abu Salimia, director of the Al-Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza City, warns of the outbreak of a fiercely aggressive mysterious virus affecting everyone in Gaza without exception, recording daily fatalities including young people, pregnant women, and children.
Abu Salimia confirmed in a press statement that the medical teams are unable to identify the nature of the virus due to a severe shortage of laboratory analyses and diagnostic equipment.
He explained that the virus is characterized by unprecedented ferocity, with the infection period extending to two weeks instead of just one, accompanied by a sharp increase in temperature, severe joint pain, and severe pneumonia.
He noted that the fatalities are not limited to the elderly and those with chronic diseases, but also included the death of a doctor and an 18-year-old girl due to complications from the infection.
Abu Salimia stressed that the general immunity deterioration among the population, due to systematic famine and poor weather conditions in tents, has exacerbated the situation.
He added that the absence of vaccines, which the occupation has been preventing from entering since last November, and the deprivation of hospitals from drugs and medical supplies, has rendered the health system incapable of coping with the large influx of patients, heralding a deeper health disaster.
On his part, Dr. Moataz Hararah, head of the reception and emergency department at Al-Shifa Hospital, reported that the department receives over 500 patients daily over the past two weeks, including about 200 cases suffering from severe respiratory diseases.
He pointed to a significant rise in cases of "leptospirosis," a bacterial infection transmitted by rodents, and recorded about 20 cases of "acute flaccid paralysis" only during the last month.
