Flu in Gaza A season of illness strikes bodies already weakened by war and famine

This winter, influenza is not arriving in the Gaza Strip as a passing seasonal illness, but as a complex health threat knocking on the doors of bodies just emerging from famine, a nearly collapsed medical system, and a near-total absence of preventative and treatment tools.

With the arrival of January, the peak of flu season, fears are mounting that the disease will turn into a widespread health crisis given weakened immunity, the lack of vaccinations, and the depletion of essential medicines.

In a dilapidated tent west of Gaza City, Umm Ahmad Miqdad, 32, recounts the details of her five-year-old son’s illness, who contracted the flu more than two weeks ago.

She tells a reporter from the Palestinian Information Center: “His fever would rise and reach 40 degrees Celsius. I would hold him against my chest all night to feel if his fever got any higher. The doctor said he needed fever reducers and monitoring, but the medication is expensive, and I could only afford to buy it once.”

She pauses briefly, then adds: “My son hasn’t received any vaccinations since the beginning of the war. We used to fear the illness; now we fear helplessness.”