The Palestinian babies stricken by meningitis in Gaza
After suffering with diarrhoea for five days, Awnee al-Jorani, a baby born in Gaza in the midst of Israel's war on the besieged Palestinian enclave, was taken to Nasser Medical Complex in the southern city of Khan Younis.
The baby's grandmother told Middle East Eye he had a number of other symptoms, including a high fever and constant crying. He was refusing to drink anything.
After being admitted to the hospital, al-Jorani was diagnosed with meningitis. The baby's worried grandmother said his mother was not able to breastfeed him because of the lack of available nutrition in Gaza and the stress brought on by Israeli bombardment.
“As you can see, the kid is tired, weak and his condition is poor," the grandmother said. "He just wails all night and during the day he’s just staring out into nothingness, he’s just frail.”
Growing numbers of children in Gaza are contracting meningitis, with the disease spreading across the Strip and dozens admitted to Nasser Hospital.
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Dr Ahmed al-Farra, director of paediatrics and maternity at the hospital, told MEE that medical staff were shocked by the number of cases admitted to the medical complex in less than a week.
'All of the cases were admitted under catastrophic conditions with the severe overcrowding in the hospital’s wards'
- Dr Ahmed al-Farra, Nasser Hospital
The Nasser hospital has received at least 40 patients in the paediatric ward presenting with symptoms of the dangerous infection.
The complex's management is facing a shortage of medicines, essential supplies and available beds, forcing medical staff to place some sick children on the floor.
Meningitis is a potentially fatal infection in the protective membranes and fluid surrounding the brain, “thus, this disease is incredibly dangerous," al-Farra said.
"Meningitis is one of those diseases that must be treated immediately, and identified as soon as possible,” the senior doctor told MEE.
If it is not treated, al-Farra said it could result in a number of critical complications, including brain paralysis, the loss of hearing or sight, and an overall impact on the child’s general development.
“Unfortunately, all of the cases were admitted under catastrophic conditions with the severe overcrowding in the hospital’s wards,” the doctor said.
“The situation is very difficult and catastrophic… I’m not exaggerating when I say there is overcrowding on top of overcrowding [in the hospital].”
Al-Farra added that issues treating patients have been compounded by the lack of medical essentials used to properly diagnose and treat patients, especially when it comes to identifying the source of the meningitis - whether it is bacterial or viral.
Medical personnel have instead had to treat patients without knowing the cause of their illness and prescribe treatments for bacterial infections due to a lack of medication.
Displacement and lack of hygiene
Malnutrition suffered by mothers, overcrowding in displacement zones and a lack of clean water for drinking and washing have all exacerbated the spread of meningitis among children in Gaza.
Um Alaa Abu Jameh, who is currently in the Israeli-designated humanitarian zone in al-Mawasi, Khan Younis, told MEE that she had first taken her daughter, Alaa, to the Kuwait hospital when she had a fever of 40C.
Her baby was admitted to the paediatric emergency sector, where doctors suspected she had meningitis after several tests showed that Alaa was not suffering from a lung infection. The meningitis diagnosis was confirmed after they took a sample from her back.
According to Alaa's mother, her diagnosis came as a result of a bacterial infection due to a lack of hygienic conditions.
“We’re living the life of displacement camps, and she's only been alive for a month,” the mother said, adding that her daughter suffers from diarrhoea as well.
The baby spends the entire time crying, especially when she is laid down.
Alongside her child’s infection, the mother also has a difficult time providing her with baby formula, nappies and other essentials due to skyrocketing prices and the lack of availability for these items brought on by Israel's blocking of humanitarian supplies into Gaza.
Struggling with her daughter's cries of pain, Umm Alaa urged organisations to provide necessary items for babies amid rising market prices.
Similarly, al-Faraa stressed the need for an end to the war on Gaza and the opening of corridors to let in essentials for treating these infections as well as letting in proper food and nutrition, such as baby formula, to strengthen the immune system of children.
The doctor said that displaced Palestinians should be allowed to go back to their respective areas because diseases like meningitis thrive in camps and among displaced people.
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