AhlulBayt News Agency: The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza has raised alarm over a significant increase in cases of acute flaccid paralysis among children, driven by worsening health conditions and a critical shortage of essential medications due to the ongoing Israeli blockade.
In a statement issued Monday, the ministry confirmed three fatalities from Guillain-Barré syndrome, including two children under 15 who died because life-saving treatments were unavailable.
The ministry warned of an impending infectious crisis, citing lab tests that revealed intestinal viruses unrelated to polio—signaling a dangerous spread of disease in Gaza’s collapsing public health system.
According to the ministry, 45 cases of acute flaccid paralysis were recorded in June and July, marking an unprecedented spike. Officials attributed the outbreak to contaminated water, broken sanitation systems, widespread malnutrition, and lack of medicine.
Dr. Mohammed Hejjo, head of intensive care at Abdul Aziz Al-Rantisi Children’s Hospital, explained that Guillain-Barré syndrome affects the peripheral nervous system, beginning with leg weakness and progressing upward.
He noted that if respiratory muscles are impacted, children may suffer respiratory failure and require ventilators—equipment that is often unavailable due to Gaza’s crippled healthcare infrastructure.
Dr. Hejjo stressed that malnutrition, worsened by the Israeli siege, drastically reduces children’s chances of recovery. He said hunger weakens muscles and immunity, accelerating paralysis and increasing the risk of death.
The Health Ministry appealed to international humanitarian groups to urgently provide medications and push for the lifting of the blockade.
It emphasized that ongoing restrictions on food and medicine since the March 2 siege escalation are worsening the health crisis and threatening the lives of thousands of children.
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