Dr Riyad Qishta of Abu Youssef Al Najjar Hospital in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, has told Al Jazeera the disease has spread among children, adults and the elderly for the first time.

He said it was the result of overcrowding, a lack of hygiene, consumption of non-potable water, disruption in sewage networks, and the spread of wastewater.

The hospital’s capacity to deal with the spread is limited in light of the inability of health authorities to meet the needs of people displaced as a result of overcrowding in Rafah, he added.

Qishta said the epidemic is dangerous and its spread among chronic patients and children poses difficulties. Among its complications is enlargement of the liver, which may develop into cirrhosis and cause a coma in the brain.