DaysofPal – Gaza’s collapsing healthcare system is now facing a new emergency, as health officials report a surge in meningitis cases, particularly among children, amid conditions described by medical workers as “catastrophic.”
The Ministry of Health in Gaza confirmed hundreds of infections, pointing to overcrowded shelters, poor sanitation, and restricted access to clean water as major factors fueling the spread of the disease.
“Meningitis is now spreading rapidly due to the severe deterioration of healthcare infrastructure,” the ministry said in a statement. “People are living in crowded conditions, with minimal hygiene, and without adequate medical care.”
Meningitis is an inflammation of the meninges, the protective membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord, commonly caused by bacterial, viral, or fungal infections. It can also result from brain hemorrhages or exposure to toxins, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). If left untreated, it can cause serious long-term damage to the brain and nervous system, particularly in children.
The Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Yunis, one of the few remaining functioning hospitals in southern Gaza, reported a record number of meningitis cases among children, with at least 35 confirmed infections.
Doctors at the complex warned that malnutrition and overcrowding are accelerating the spread of the disease and that the consequences for children’s mental health and sensory development could be devastating.
In a grim assessment, Dr. Marwan Al-Hams, director of field hospitals at the Ministry of Health, warned that Gaza’s major hospitals are on the verge of shutting down due to extreme shortages in medical supplies and fuel.
“Our intensive care units are full,” Al-Hams said. “We are now forced to ration even the most basic medical items. What is needed for one patient is being divided between two or three.”
He also noted that many patients arriving from aid distribution sites are in critical condition. “We’re seeing severe upper-body injuries from Israeli fire at aid lines,” he said. “And we don’t have the medicines or supplies to properly treat them.”
On Sunday, the Government Media Office in Gaza reported that the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli occupation forces while trying to obtain humanitarian aid had risen to 580 dead, with more than 4,000 wounded and at least 39 missing.
This escalating violence has made it even harder for patients to access emergency care or for humanitarian teams to safely deliver medical assistance.
Humanitarian organizations have repeatedly warned that Gaza’s healthcare system is in free fall, with the spread of infectious diseases compounding the horrors of war. Doctors on the ground say meningitis could soon overwhelm what remains of Gaza’s hospitals if immediate intervention is not made.
“This is not just a public health emergency,” said a field doctor at a Khan Yunis clinic. “This is a total collapse, of medicine, of infrastructure, and of the basic right to survive.”
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