Vast majority of illnesses in Gaza may be unreported, WHO cautions amid limited access

The World Health Organization warned on Thursday that disease outbreaks in Gaza may be spreading largely undetected due to the near-total collapse of surveillance and laboratory systems.

Teresa Zakaria, WHO's unit head for humanitarian and disaster action, said the living conditions in the enclave are so severe that "we can't even describe it anymore," adding that "all the basis for diseases to develop in a constricted environment with very limited access to prevention, to detection and response are all indicating that outbreaks can really spread out of control and very rapidly."

Her remarks came during an Association of Accredited Correspondents at the United Nations (ACANU) media briefing in Geneva.

Zakaria said humanitarian access and diagnostic capacities remain "very limited," making early detection and response nearly impossible.

"What is very important here to highlight is that we are probably missing the vast majority of diseases that are spreading in the territory at the moment just because we have not been able to detect them," she said. [MORE]