Increase in meningitis cases among Gaza children raises concern among doctors

A woman in a ward at Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza rocks her 16-month-old granddaughter, Sham, to stop crying after she became one of those infected with meningitis, which aid workers say has increased among children in the Strip.

“Sham suddenly had a fever and convulsions,” said grandmother Umm Yasmin. “We couldn’t find an ambulance or a car to take her. The situation was difficult. She was about to die, and we were waiting for one to take her.”

The World Health Organization and Doctors Without Borders (MSF) warn that conditions in Gaza due to the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) for 21 months have increased the risk of meningitis, although they lack clear comparative data to measure the severity of the recent outbreak.

“There is an increase in the number of cases of meningitis in children,” said Rick Peeperkorn, WHO representative in the occupied Palestinian territory. “We are very concerned.”

There is usually a seasonal increase in viral meningitis cases in Gaza between June and August, but the World Health Organization is investigating the role of additional factors, such as poor sanitation, limited healthcare, and disruption to routine vaccinations.

Hospitals that remain operational are overcrowded and suffer from a severe shortage of essential antibiotics.

The World Health Organization says that bacterial meningitis, which is airborne and life-threatening, can spread in crowded tents, while viral meningitis, though less serious, can easily spread in shelters with poor sanitation.

Dr. Ahmed Al-Farra, head of the pediatrics and obstetrics department at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, reported about 40 cases of viral and bacterial meningitis last week.