Hepatitis A, jaundice spreading among Gaza’s population, WHO chief warns

At least 24 cases of Hepatitis A and thousands of cases of jaundice have been detected in the Gaza Strip, as access to clean water remains severely restricted, World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warns on X, formerly Twitter.

Hepatitis A, a viral liver infection, is usually mild “but can occasionally cause severe disease,” the WHO chief says.

While just 24 cases have been confirmed through testing due to limited means, the thousands of cases of jaundice are also believed to be linked to the liver infection, indicating it may have spread much further than testing shows.

“The inhumane living conditions — almost no drinking water, clean toilets or ability to keep the surroundings clean — will allow hepatitis A to spread further,” Ghebreyesus writes, describing the health crisis as “explosive.”

“The capacity to diagnose diseases remains extremely limited. There is no functioning laboratory. The capacity to respond remains limited too,” he adds.

“We continue to call for unimpeded and safe access of medical aid and for health to be protected.”

Cases of #HepatitisA, an inflammation of the liver, have been confirmed in #Gaza via test kits supplied by @WHO.

Hepatitis A is usually mild but can occasionally cause severe disease. 24 cases are confirmed and no deaths have been reported so far. There are several thousand…

— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) January 18, 2024