Epidemiology of Parasitic Diseases in Gaza Strip, Palestine: A continuing Health Problem

Abstract

Intestinal parasitic diseases remain to be one of the greatest health problems in the developing world. According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 3.5 billion people worldwide continue to be affected by intestinal parasitic infections. Intestinal parasites and other parasitic diseases are endemic in the Gaza Strip for decades, despite the improvement in infrastructure as in other developing countries. The existence and fluctuation of the intestinal parasites and other parasitic diseases should be considered while health planning, as infections can lead to malnutrition, anemia, cognitive ability, and other health problems. Due to the many unfavorable health conditions in the Gaza Strip, these intestinal parasites continue to survive. There are many reports on parasitic diseases in the Gaza Strip, including the epidemiology of intestinal parasites, prevalence, diagnosis, the association between intestinal parasites and malnutrition and environmental contamination caused by these parasites, and sexually transmitted parasiticdiseases such as Trichomonas vaginalis. This chapter discusses infections with intestinal parasites and other parasitic diseases in the Gaza Strip, and its treatments in children and adults. The challenges encountered during diagnosis and the associated risk factors are also addressed, followed by some proposed solutions to decrease/minimize further increases in infections with intestinal parasites in the Gaza Strip.