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The vaccines against contagious childhood diseases, including rubella, polio, measles and mumps, have been purchased by the Palestinian health ministry but also include donations from Unicef and its partners.
The delivery of the supplies comes amid recent reports of infectious outbreaks among Israeli soldiers in the Gaza Strip and concerns that they could spill over into Israel.
There were reports on Monday of a suspected outbreak of the parasitic disease leishmaniasis, spread by infected sand flies, among Israeli military personnel in the enclave.
The infection is characterised by irregular bouts of fever, weight loss, enlargement of the spleen and liver, and anaemia. It can be fatal without treatment.
Last month, the Telegraph reported that wounded Israeli soldiers in Gaza were battling drug-resistant infections, mainly in limb injuries.
Outbreak fears
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the World Health Organisation, said that he and his colleagues “remain very concerned” about the mounting threat of infectious disease.
“WHO and partners are working tirelessly to support the health authorities to increase disease surveillance and control by supplying medicines, testing kits to support prompt detection and response to infectious diseases such as hepatitis,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter, last week.
The intensified spread of disease adds further strain to the Strip’s already overwhelmed health system.
As of 27 December, only 13 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals were partially functional – nine in the south and four in the north – according to the WHO.
These hospitals are facing critical shortages of basic supplies, such as anaesthesia and fuel, and operating at three times their capacity, with occupancy rates reaching up to 250 per cent in intensive care units, according to the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health in Gaza.
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