Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on July 7, 2025
3 min readLast updated: January 23, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleMeningitis cases surge among Gaza's children, with WHO and MSF highlighting poor sanitation and healthcare access as key issues.
By Olivia Le Poidevin
GENEVA/GAZA (Reuters) -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 Organization 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," Dr Mohammed Abu Mughaisib, deputy medical coordinator for MSF in Gaza. "There is no space to isolate."
Airborne and life-threatening bacterial meningitis can spread in overcrowded tents, according to the WHO. Viral meningitis, though less serious, often spreads through the fecal-oral route, meaning it can easily spread in shelters with poor sanitation, the WHO says.
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 United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Abu Mughaisib said a lack of lab tests and blood cultures that can help identify the bacteria causing infections was hampering diagnoses.
DISPLACEMENT
Nearly all Gaza's population of more than 2 million has been displaced by the war, which began in October 2023 when Hamas-led fighters stormed into Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
Israel's retaliatory military campaign has killed more than 57,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's health authorities, triggered a hunger crisis, and left much of the territory in ruins.
More than 80% of Gaza is now an Israeli-militarized zone or subject to displacement orders, according to the United Nations.
Umm Yasmin said her daughter had contracted meningitis for the second time since being displaced. "The tents that we live in ... animals cannot live in them," she said.
Doctors warn that vitamin deficiencies and weakened immunity— resulting from limited access to fresh vegetables and protein—are increasing children’s vulnerability.
The destruction of the sewage system and dirty water caused meningitis to spread, said Nasser hospital's Farra.
On May 19, Israel lifted an 11-week aid blockade on Gaza, but assistance since then has been limited. Supplies have been channelled through a controversial U.S.-and Israeli-backed group, bypassing the U.N.-led system.
The WHO has called for more antibiotics to be allowed into the enclave to treat patients.
(Reporting by Olivia Le Poidevin and Hatem Khaled; Editing by Aidan Lewis)
The rise in meningitis cases is attributed to poor sanitation, limited access to medical care, and the overwhelming conditions in hospitals due to the ongoing war.
The Paediatrics Department at Rantisi Children's Hospital in Gaza City has recorded hundreds of meningitis cases in recent weeks.
Factors include displacement of the population, destruction of the sewage system, and vitamin deficiencies leading to weakened immunity among children.
The WHO is investigating the meningitis outbreak and has called for more antibiotics to be allowed into Gaza to treat affected patients.
Hospitals are overwhelmed with full beds, severe shortages of vital antibiotics, and a lack of lab tests to identify the bacteria causing infections.
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