Gaza crisis: fresh airstrikes, conflict intensifies

New Israeli airstrikes reportedly struck southern and central areas of Gaza on Monday as UN humanitarians and partners continued to treat the victims of a deadly strike on Al Mawasi in southwest Gaza on Saturday that reportedly left at least 90 dead.

In an update from Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis where victims were admitted, veteran UN aid official Scott Anderson reported witnessing “some of the most horrific" scenes he’d experienced in his nine months in Gaza.

“With not enough beds, hygiene equipment, sheeting or scrubs, many patients were treated on the ground without disinfectants, ventilation systems were switched off due to a lack of electricity and fuel, and the air was filled with the smell of blood,” said Mr. Andersen, Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator with the UN agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) in Gaza.

The overwhelmed facility received more than 100 severe cases in one day, Mr. Andersen said, adding that he “saw toddlers who are double amputees” and children paralyzed, unable to receive treatment.

In a statement, the Israeli military said that it had been targeting Hamas’s top military commander at Al Mawasi, which lies west of Khan Younis.

Monday’s renewed hostilities in Rafah and central Gaza followed media reports of another strike on an UNRWA school-turned-shelter on Sunday in Nuseirat refugee camp. At least 17 people are believed to have died in the attack, according to the local authorities.

Three other UNRWA schools were hit last week, with 190 of the UN agency’s facilities struck since the war erupted.

South Sudan faces a growing humanitarian crisis warns WHO

Twelve years into independence the people of South Sudan are facing huge challenges because of the war in neighbouring Sudan, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday.

The UN health agency insisted that the humanitarian, economic, social and political crises that began during the 2013 and 2016 conflicts have been worsened by the recent influx of refugees from Sudan with over 650,000 new arrivals since April 2023.

Right now, approaching six million people - or 46 per cent of the population – face crisis levels of food insecurity – a number that’s expected to rise to around 7.1 million during the current lean season.

The WHO report also highlighted that the 2023-24 El Niño weather phenomenon - one of the strongest on record - brought dry conditions, erratic rainfall and significantly impacted harvests. It also resulted in year-round flooding, which occurred in new areas.

Severe flooding, recurrent violence, weak governance, poverty and lack of infrastructure have created a complex humanitarian crisis which is hindering South Sudan’s development, the UN health agency warned.

A staggering 8.9 million people mostly in flood and conflict-affected areas have been affected, with women, children, the elderly and people with disabilities at higher risk.

Uptick in war sees childhood immunization levels stalled: Agencies

War is the leading cause behind stalled levels of childhood vaccination, according to new data from UN agencies published on Monday.

In 2023, childhood immunization levels flatlined, leaving 2.7 million children without sufficient coverage compared to pre-COVID times.

The data – compiled by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF - shows that countries affected by war and instability are struggling the most, with over half of under-inoculated children living in 31 fragile and conflict-affected countries.

UNICEF, Executive Director Catherine Russell called for a “global effort to close the immunization gap” by investing in primary healthcare and community workers.

Measles vaccination rates were among those which stalled, leaving nearly 35 million children unprotected. In 2023, only 83 per cent of children got their first dose of the measles vaccine and 74 per cent received their 2nd dose, far from the 95 per cent needed to prevent outbreaks and reach elimination goals.

On a positive note, the data shows progress in newer vaccines, including the HPV vaccine, key to protecting against cervical cancer. Rates went up from 20 per cent in 2022 to 27 per cent in 2023.

WHO campaign helps Afghan communities prevent infectious diseases

Meanwhile, a welcome development from Afghanistan where the World Health Organization has launched a campaign to combat the rising threat of infectious disease outbreaks.

The UN health agency trained and deployed 110 “community mobilisers”, particularly women, to raise awareness of diseases including Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF), acute watery diarrhoea and measles.

The campaigns targeted health facilities, schools, mosques, community centres, bazaars, animal markets and slaughterhouses in 25 districts in the provinces of Balkh, Herat and Kandahar. 

One community mobilizer from Herat said that neighbourhood participation and engaging “community elders” was the key to helping “spread health messages”.

Women, who are more at risk of the haemorrhagic virus because of their role in animal care, were a campaign priority, as they are harder to reach. Educating students was also vital so that they could take messages back to their families.

Dr. Jamshed Tanoli, Acting WHO Representative to Afghanistan, thanked partners and donors for supporting the campaign.