WHO Counts 24 Cases of Hepatitis A in Gaza

Displaced Palestinians who fled their homes due to Israeli raids live in tents in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip. (Reuters)
Displaced Palestinians who fled their homes due to Israeli raids live in tents in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip. (Reuters)
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WHO Counts 24 Cases of Hepatitis A in Gaza

Displaced Palestinians who fled their homes due to Israeli raids live in tents in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip. (Reuters)
Displaced Palestinians who fled their homes due to Israeli raids live in tents in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip. (Reuters)

The head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has said that 24 cases of Hepatitis A have been confirmed in the Gaza Strip.

“There are several thousand people with jaundice presumably also due to Hepatitis A,” Ghebreyesus posted on his X platform.

“The inhumane living conditions - barely any clean water, clean toilets and possibility to keep the surroundings clean - will enable Hepatitis A to spread further.”

He added, “The capacity to diagnose diseases remains extremely limited. There is no functioning laboratory. The capacity to respond remains limited too. We continue to call for unimpeded and safe access of medical aid and for health to be protected.”

What is Hepatitis A?

“Hepatitis A is an inflammation of the liver caused by the hepatitis A virus (HAV). The virus is primarily spread when an uninfected (and unvaccinated) person ingests food or water that is contaminated with the feces of an infected person. The disease is closely associated with unsafe water or food, inadequate sanitation, and poor personal hygiene,” according to the WHO website.

“Unlike hepatitis B and C, hepatitis A does not cause chronic liver disease but it can cause debilitating symptoms and rarely fulminant hepatitis (acute liver failure), which is often fatal. WHO estimates that in 2016, 7134 persons died from hepatitis A worldwide (accounting for 0.5% of the mortality due to viral hepatitis).

Hepatitis A occurs sporadically and in epidemics worldwide, with a tendency for cyclic recurrences. Epidemics related to contaminated food or water can erupt explosively, such as the epidemic in Shanghai in 1988 that affected about 300,000 people. They can also be prolonged, affecting communities for months through person-to-person transmission. Hepatitis A viruses persist in the environment and can withstand food production processes routinely used to inactivate or control bacterial pathogens.”

The website adds, "Almost everyone recovers fully from hepatitis A with a lifelong immunity,” and that “several injectable inactivated hepatitis A vaccines are available internationally.”

“The incubation period of hepatitis A is usually 14–28 days. Symptoms of hepatitis A range from mild to severe and can include fever, malaise, loss of appetite, diarrhea, nausea, abdominal discomfort, dark-colored urine, and jaundice (a yellowing of the eyes and skin). Not everyone who is infected will have all the symptoms. Adults have signs and symptoms of illness more often than children. The severity of disease and fatal outcomes are higher in older age groups. Infected children under six years of age do not usually experience noticeable symptoms, and only 10% develop jaundice.”



Iranian FM from Beirut: We Respect Lebanon’s Internal Affairs

Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji, left, receives his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi, center, in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji, left, receives his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi, center, in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
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Iranian FM from Beirut: We Respect Lebanon’s Internal Affairs

Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji, left, receives his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi, center, in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji, left, receives his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi, center, in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tuesday that considering the regional developments, Iran is keen on opening a new chapter in its relations with Lebanon, assuring that his country respects Lebanon’s internal matters and does not meddle in them.

Araghchi, who arrived on Tuesday in Beirut coming from Egypt where he convened with senior officials, met with his Lebanese counterpart Youssef Rajji at the foreign ministry’s headquarters in Downtown Beirut.

Araghchi said he has meetings scheduled with Lebanese President Jospeh Aoun, PM Nawaf Salam and his Lebanese counterpart.

“My trip to Lebanon comes as part of my tour in the region”, the state-run National News Agency quoted Araghchi as saying after he arrived at the airport.

“We respect Lebanon’s internal matters; we do not interfere in them. We also support Lebanon’s sovereignty during difficult times just like we did before”, he stated, noting that Iran attaches great importance to Lebanon’s independence, sovereignty and unity.

“I hope there would be a new leaf of relations with Lebanon based on mutual respect”, he added.

A Visit with Political Goals

According to sources who spoke to Asharq al-Awsat on condition of anonymity, the Iranian diplomat’s visit has political goals as it coincides with a new round of US-Iran nuclear talks that reports say still faces hurdles amid Tehran’s insistence that they are strictly for peaceful purposes.

The visit was not coordinated in advance with the Lebanese state but came at the Iranian minister’s request, the source added, noting that Araghchi seeks to meet senior Lebanese officials to discuss matters of key importance for his country.