The World Health Organization warned on Friday of surging respiratory illnesses in Gaza, with worse expected after heavy rains flooded tens of thousands of tents ​housing displaced Palestinians.

“The numbers already show the pressure. Acute respiratory infections are 33,000 ‌cases higher than at the same time last year,” Dr Reinhilde Van De Weerdt, WHO Representative in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, told reporters in Geneva from Jerusalem, Reuters reported.

Poor living conditions and severe overcrowding are driving up ​infections as Gaza’s population is squeezed into an ever-smaller area, WHO said. The crunch ​has worsened as the Israeli military expands its control by advancing the “yellow ⁠line” — a demarcation established under October’s US-brokered ceasefire.

“That means people are living in more crowded ​conditions, where of course the spread between humans of a virus is much more prone ​to spread,” Van De Weerdt explained.

The Israeli military and COGAT, the Israeli military agency that coordinates aid, did not immediately respond to Reuters request for comment.

Last week COGAT said that it had stepped up efforts to ​improve sanitary conditions before the heavy rain, in coordination with international organisations.

Respiratory infections currently make ​up 11% of all consultations, with the WHO expecting cold weather, flooding, overcrowded shelters and poor ventilation ‌to push ⁠these numbers higher.

“It is shocking that just a few days of rain really showed us what the coming months will bring. And winter has not even fully set in. The worst really is yet to come,” Van De Weerdt said.

Nearly a million displaced people in Gaza ​live in flood-exposed areas, ​and 400,000 of ⁠them are in locations that are considered at extremely high risk, according to the WHO.

The agency said flooding heightened the risk of contaminated ​water, while standing water gave mosquitoes and pests more places to breed. ​Dampness encouraged ⁠mould and bacteria that are major drivers for respiratory infections, especially in young children, it said.

While the majority of medicines are getting into Gaza, the WHO faces difficulty getting laboratory supplies, which ⁠it says ​are vital for diagnosing patients before they can be ​treated.

“To prevent outbreaks, we really call to let laboratory equipment enter Gaza today, so that we can avoid a ​public health disaster on top of a disaster.“

A nine-member medical team from Germany has begun a two-week medical and surgical mission at Bamiyan Provincial Hospital, offering free specialised treatment to patients in need.

According to the Ministry of Public Health, the team arrived in Afghanistan in coordination with the ministry and in partnership with Aga Khan Health Services (AKHS).

During the mission, the specialists will provide diagnostic and surgical services, including plastic surgery, burn treatment, correction of congenital deformities, war-related injuries and other complex medical conditions.

The team is expected to examine around 200 patients, with between 100 and 150 selected for surgical procedures.

In addition to treating patients, the German specialists will conduct theoretical and practical training sessions for Afghan doctors, surgeons and medical students to strengthen local medical expertise.

The ministry said the mission is funded by volunteer doctors and partner organisations, with essential medicines and medical equipment also brought into the country.

The initiative aims to improve access to free specialised healthcare, enhance the skills of Afghan medical professionals and strengthen surgical services in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan is set to launch a new nationwide polio vaccination campaign on Monday, November 2, as health authorities continue efforts to eradicate the disease, following the vaccination of 12.7 million children across the country.

Afghanistan’s Polio-Free Initiative announced that the campaign will begin nationwide on Monday, while vaccination activities in the southern zone will start a day later, on Tuesday, November 3.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said that 12.7 million children in Afghanistan have been vaccinated against polio through ongoing immunization campaigns.

The UN agency noted that despite progress in vaccination coverage, efforts to completely eliminate polio in Afghanistan are continuing.

Polio is a highly infectious viral disease that mainly affects children under the age of five and can cause permanent paralysis.

Health organizations have urged families to cooperate with vaccination teams and ensure that all eligible children receive the required vaccine doses to protect them against the disease.