In a ward of Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza, a woman is comforting her crying, 16-month-old granddaughter, one of those affected by what aid workers say is a surge of meningitis cases among the Palestinian territory’s children.
“Sham’s temperature suddenly spiked and she became stiff,” said the grandmother, Umm Yasmin. “We couldn’t find a car to carry her ... She was about to die.”
The World Health Organisation and medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières warn that conditions in Gaza after 21 months of war between Israel and Hamas have increased the risks of meningitis spreading, though they lack clear comparative data to measure the severity of recent outbreaks.
“There’s been a rise in meningitis cases in children,” said Dr Rik Peeperkorn, WHO representative in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. “We are very concerned.”
Typically, there is a seasonal increase in viral meningitis cases in Gaza between June and August, but the WHO is investigating the role of additional factors such as poor sanitation, limited access to healthcare and disruption of routine vaccinations.
Those hospitals still operating are overwhelmed, with beds full and severe shortages of vital antibiotics.
“There is no space in the hospitals,” said Dr Mohammed Abu Mughaisib, deputy medical co-ordinator for MSF in Gaza. “There is no space to isolate.”
At the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, Dr Ahmad Al Farra, head of the Paediatrics and Maternity Department, reported nearly 40 cases of newly admitted viral and bacterial meningitis in the last week.
In Gaza City to the north, the Paediatrics Department at the Rantisi Children’s Hospital has recorded hundreds of cases in recent weeks, according to a report published by the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
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