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.
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.
Two Gaza infants die under Israeli siege amid baby formula shortage
“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.
Middle East Eye
