Doctors alarmed at rising meningitis cases in Gaza's children
GAZA − 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.
More: Hamas responds to Gaza ceasefire proposal, says it's ready to enter into talks
"There's been a rise in meningitis cases in children," said Dr. Rik Peeperkorn, WHO representative in the Palestinian territories. "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.
More: Trump urges Hamas to accept 'final proposal' for 60-day Gaza ceasefire
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.
More: Gaza Humanitarian Foundation says two of its US aid workers injured in Gaza
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 Pediatrics 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.
Mass 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.
More: Trial to begin over Trump-backed deportations of pro-Palestinian students
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.
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Los Angeles Times
29 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
California, other Democratic-led states roll back Medicaid access for people lacking legal status
SACRAMENTO — For nearly 20 years, Maria would call her sister — a nurse in Mexico — for advice on how to manage her asthma and control her husband's diabetes instead of going to the doctor in California. She didn't have legal status, so she couldn't get health insurance and skipped routine exams, relying instead on home remedies and, at times, getting inhalers from Mexico. She insisted on using only her first name for fear of deportation. Things changed for Maria and many others in recent years when some Democratic-led states opened up their health insurance programs to low-income immigrants regardless of their legal status. Maria and her husband signed up the day the program began last year. 'It changed immensely, like from Earth to the heavens,' Maria said in Spanish of Medi-Cal, California's Medicaid program. 'Having the peace of mind of getting insurance leads me to getting sick less.' At least seven states and the District of Columbia have offered coverage for immigrants, mostly since 2020. But three of them have done an about-face, ending or limiting coverage for hundreds of thousands of immigrants who aren't in the U.S. legally — California, Illinois and Minnesota. The programs cost much more than officials had projected at a time when the states are facing multibillion-dollar deficits now and in the future. In Illinois, adult immigrants ages 42 to 64 without legal status have lost their healthcare to save an estimated $404 million. All adult immigrants in Minnesota no longer have access to the state program, saving nearly $57 million. In California, no one will automatically lose coverage, but new enrollments for adults will stop in 2026 to save more than $3 billion over several years. Cuts in all three states were backed by Democratic governors who once championed expanding health coverage to immigrants. The Trump administration this week shared the home addresses, ethnicities and personal data of all Medicaid recipients with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials. Twenty states, including California, Illinois and Minnesota, have sued. Healthcare providers told the Associated Press that all of those factors, especially the fear of being arrested or deported, are having a chilling effect on people seeking care. And states may have to spend more money down the road because immigrants will avoid preventive healthcare and end up needing to go to safety-net hospitals. 'I feel like they continue to squeeze you more and more to the point where you'll burst,' Maria said, referencing all the uncertainties for people who are in the U.S. without legal permission. People who run free and community health clinics in California and Minnesota said patients who got on state Medicaid programs received knee replacements and heart procedures and were diagnosed for serious conditions like late-stage cancer. CommunityHealth is one of the nation's largest free clinics, serving many uninsured and underinsured immigrants in the Chicago area who have no other options for treatment. That includes the people who lost coverage July 1 when Illinois ended its Health Benefits for Immigrants Adults Program, which served about 31,500 people ages 42 to 64. One of CommunityHealth's community outreach workers and care coordinator said Eastern European patients she works with started coming in with questions about what the change meant for them. She said many of the patients also don't speak English and don't have transportation to get to clinics that can treat them. The worker spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity to protect patients' privacy. Health Finders Collective in Minnesota's rural Rice and Steele counties south of Minneapolis serves low-income and underinsured patients, including large populations of Latino immigrants and Somali refugees. Executive director Charlie Mandile said his clinics are seeing patients rushing to squeeze in appointments and procedures before 19,000 people age 18 and older are kicked off insurance at the end of the year. Free and community health clinics in all three states say they will keep serving patients regardless of insurance coverage — but that might get harder after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services decided this month to restrict federally qualified health centers from treating people without legal status. CommunityHealth Chief Executive Stephanie Willding said she always worried about the stability of the program because it was fully state funded, 'but truthfully, we thought that day was much, much further away.' 'People are going to die. Some people are going to go untreated,' Alicia Hardy, chief executive officer of CommuniCARE+OLE clinics in California, said of the state's Medicaid changes. 'It's hard to see the humanity in the decision-making that's happening right now.' A spokesperson for the Minnesota Department of Health said ending the state's program will decrease MinnesotaCare spending in the short term, but she acknowledged healthcare costs would rise elsewhere, including uncompensated care at hospitals. Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth, a Republican, said the state's program was not sustainable. 'It wasn't about trying to be non-compassionate or not caring about people,' she said. 'When we looked at the state budget, the dollars were not there to support what was passed and what was being spent.' Demuth also noted that children will still have coverage, and adults lacking permanent legal status can buy private health insurance. Healthcare providers also are worried that preventable conditions will go unmanaged, and people will avoid care until they end up in emergency rooms — where care will be available under federal law. One of those safety-net public hospitals, Cook County Health in Chicago, treated about 8,000 patients from Illinois' program last year. Dr. Erik Mikaitis, the health system's CEO, said doing so brought in $111 million in revenue. But he anticipated other providers who billed through the program could close, he said. 'Things can become unstable very quickly,' he said. State lawmakers said California's Medi-Cal changes stem from budget issues — a $12-billion deficit this year, with larger ones projected ahead. Democratic state leaders last month agreed to stop new enrollment starting in 2026 for all low-income adults without legal status. Those under 60 remaining on the program will have to pay a $30 monthly fee in 2027. States are also bracing for impact from federal policies. Cuts to Medicaid and other programs in President Trump's massive tax and spending bill include a 10% cut to the federal share of Medicaid expansion costs to states that offer health benefits to immigrants starting October 2027. California health officials estimate roughly 200,000 people will lose coverage after the first full year of restricted enrollment, though Gov. Gavin Newsom maintains that even with the rollbacks, California provides the most expansive healthcare coverage for poor adults. Every new bill requires a shift in Maria's monthly calculations to make ends meet. She believes many people won't be able to afford the $30-a-month premiums and will instead go back to self-medication or skip treatment altogether. 'It was a total triumph,' she said of Medi-Cal expansion. 'But now that all of this is coming our way, we're going backwards to a worse place.' Fear and tension about immigration raids are changing patient behavior, too. Providers told the AP that, as immigration raids ramped up, their patients were requesting more virtual appointments, not showing up to routine doctor's visits and not picking up prescriptions for their chronic conditions. Maria has the option to keep her coverage. But she is weighing the health of her family against risking what they've built in the U.S. 'It's going to be very difficult,' Maria said of her decision to remain on the program. 'If it comes to the point where my husband gets sick and his life is at risk, well then, obviously, we have to choose his life.' Nguyễn and Shastri write for the Associated Press and reported from Sacramento and Milwaukee, respectively. AP journalist Godofredo Vasquez in San Francisco contributed to this report.
Chicago Tribune
an hour ago
- Chicago Tribune
Illinois among Democrat-led states rolling back Medicaid access for people lacking permanent legal status
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — For nearly 20 years, Maria would call her sister — a nurse in Mexico — for advice on how to manage her asthma and control her husband's diabetes instead of going to the doctor in California. She didn't have legal status, so she couldn't get health insurance and skipped routine exams, relying instead on home remedies and, at times, getting inhalers from Mexico. She insisted on using only her first name for fear of deportation. Things changed for Maria and many others in recent years when a handful of Democrat-led states opened up their health insurance programs to low-income immigrants regardless of their legal status. Maria and her husband signed up the day the program began last year. 'It changed immensely, like from Earth to the heavens,' Maria said in Spanish of Medi-Cal, California's Medicaid program. 'Having the peace of mind of getting insurance leads me to getting sick less.' At least seven states and the District of Columbia have offered coverage for immigrants since mostly 2020. But three of them have done an about-face, ending or limiting coverage for hundreds of thousands of immigrants who aren't in the U.S. legally in California, Illinois and Minnesota. The programs cost way more than officials had projected at a time when the states are facing multibillion-dollar deficits now and in the future. In Illinois, adult immigrants ages 42-64 without legal status have lost their health care to save an estimated $404 million. All adult immigrants in Minnesota no longer have access to the state program, saving nearly $57 million. In California, no one will automatically lose coverage, but new enrollments for adults will stop in 2026 to save more than $3 billion over several years. Cuts in all three states were backed by Democratic governors who once championed expanding health coverage to immigrants. The Trump administration this week shared the home addresses, ethnicities and personal data of all Medicaid recipients with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials. Twenty states, including California, Illinois and Minnesota, have sued. Health care providers told The Associated Press that everything, especially the fear of being arrested or deported, is having a chilling effect on people seeking care. And states may have to spend more money down the road because immigrants will avoid preventive health care and end up needing to go to safety-net hospitals. 'I feel like they continue to squeeze you more and more to the point where you'll burst,' Maria said, referencing all the uncertainties for people who are in the U.S. without legal permission. People who run free and community health clinics in California and Minnesota said patients who got on state Medicaid programs received knee replacements and heart procedures, and were diagnosed for serious conditions like late-stage cancer. CommunityHealth is one of the nation's largest free clinics, serving many uninsured and underinsured immigrants in the Chicago area who have no other options for treatment. That includes the people who lost coverage July 1 when Illinois ended its Health Benefits for Immigrants Adults Program, which served about 31,500 people ages 42-64. One of CommunityHealth's community outreach workers and care coordinator said Eastern European patients she works with started coming in with questions about what the change meant for them. She said many of the patients also don't speak English and don't have transportation to get to clinics that can treat them. The worker spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity to protect patients' privacy. Health Finders Collective in Minnesota's rural Rice and Steele counties south of Minneapolis serves low-income and underinsured patients, including large populations of Latino immigrants and Somali refugees. Executive director Charlie Mandile said they're seeing patients rushing to squeeze in appointments and procedures before 19,000 people age 18 and older are kicked off of insurance at the end of the year. Free and community health clinics in all three states say they will keep serving patients regardless of insurance coverage — but that might get harder after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services decided this month to restrict federally qualified health centers from treating people without legal status. CommunityHealth CEO Stephanie Willding said she always worried about the stability of the program because it was fully state funded, 'but truthfully, we thought that day was much, much further away.' 'People are going to die. Some people are going to go untreated,' Alicia Hardy, chief executive officer of CommuniCARE+OLE clinics in California, said of the state's Medicaid changes. 'It's hard to see the humanity in the decision-making that's happening right now.' A spokesperson for the Minnesota Department of Health said ending the state's program will decrease MinnesotaCare spending in the short term, but she acknowledged health care costs would rise elsewhere, including uncompensated care at hospitals. Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth, a Republican, said the state's program was not sustainable. 'It wasn't about trying to be non-compassionate or not caring about people,' she said. 'When we looked at the state budget, the dollars were not there to support what was passed and what was being spent.' Demuth also noted that children will still have coverage, and adults lacking permanent legal status can buy private health insurance. Health care providers also are worried that preventable conditions will go unmanaged, and people will avoid care until they end up in emergency rooms – where care will be available under federal law. One of those safety-net public hospitals, Cook County Health in Chicago, treated about 8,000 patients from Illinois' program last year. Dr. Erik Mikaitis, the health system's CEO, said doing so brought in $111 million in revenue. Chicago's safety net hospitals face potential service cuts, layoffs after signing of 'big, beautiful' tax billBut he anticipated other providers who billed through the program could close, he said, adding: 'Things can become unstable very quickly.' State lawmakers said California's Medi-Cal changes stem from budget issues — a $12 billion deficit this year, with larger ones projected ahead. Democratic state leaders last month agreed to stop new enrollment starting in 2026 for all low-income adults without legal status. Those under 60 remaining on the program will have to pay a $30 monthly fee in 2027. States are also bracing for impact from federal policies. Cuts to Medicaid and other programs in the recently signed massive tax and spending bill include a 10% cut to the federal share of Medicaid expansion costs to states that offer health benefits to immigrants starting October 2027. California health officials estimate roughly 200,000 people will lose coverage after the first full year of restricted enrollment, though Gov. Gavin Newsom maintains that even with the rollbacks, California provides the most expansive health care coverage for poor adults. Every new bill requires a shift in Maria's monthly calculations to make ends meet. She believes many people won't be able to afford the $30-a-month premiums and will instead go back to self-medication or skip treatment altogether. 'It was a total triumph,' she said of Medi-Cal expansion. 'But now that all of this is coming our way, we're going backwards to a worse place.' Fear and tension about immigration raids are changing patient behavior, too. Providers told the AP that, as immigration raids ramped up, their patients were requesting more virtual appointments, not showing up to routine doctor's visits and not picking up prescriptions for their chronic conditions. Maria has the option to keep her coverage. But she is weighing the health of her family against risking what they've built in the U.S. 'It's going to be very difficult,' Maria said of her decision to remain on the program. 'If it comes to the point where my husband gets sick and his life is at risk, well then, obviously, we have to choose his life.'
Hamilton Spectator
5 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
32 Palestinians shot dead trying to reach US group's food distribution sites, Gaza authorities say
DEIR AL BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli troops opened fire Saturday toward crowds of Palestinians seeking food from distribution hubs run by a U.S.- and Israeli-backed group in southern Gaza, killing at least 32 people, according to witnesses and hospital officials. The shootings occurred near hubs operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation , which launched operations in May. The U.S. and Israel seek to replace the traditional U.N.-led aid distribution system in Gaza, asserting that Hamas militants siphon off supplies. The U.N. denies the allegation. While the GHF says it has distributed millions of meals to hungry Palestinians, local health officials and witnesses say that Israeli army fire has killed hundreds of people as they try to reach the hubs. GHF's four sites are in military-controlled zones. Israel's army, which is not at the sites but secures them from a distance, says it only fires warning shots if crowds get too close to its forces. The military on Saturday said it fired warning shots near Gaza's southernmost city of Rafah after a group of suspects approached troops and ignored calls to keep their distance. It said the incident occurred overnight when the distribution site was closed. In a statement, the GHF said there were no incidents at or near its sites and added, 'we have repeatedly warned aid seekers not to travel to our sites overnight and early morning hours.' Witnesses allege indiscriminate fire Most of Saturday's deaths occurred as Palestinians massed in the Teina area, around 3 kilometers (2 miles) from a GHF aid distribution center near the southern city of Khan Younis. Mahmoud Mokeimar said he was walking with masses of people, mostly young men, toward the hub. Troops fired warning shots, then opened fire. 'The occupation opened fire at us indiscriminately,' he said. He said he saw at least three motionless bodies on the ground and many wounded people fleeing. Akram Aker, another witness, said troops fired machine guns mounted on tanks and drones. He said the shooting happened between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m. The GHF had called on people not to approach before 6 a.m. Saturday, citing potential military activities. 'They encircled us and started firing directly at us,' Aker said. He said he saw many casualties on the ground. Sanaa al-Jaberi said there was shooting after the site opened as people seeking aid broke into a run. 'Is this food or death? Why? They don't talk with us, they only shoot us,' she said, and showed off her empty bag. Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis said it received 25 bodies. Seven other people, including one woman, were killed in the Shakoush area, hundreds of meters (yards) north of another GHF hub in Rafah, the hospital said. Gaza's Health Ministry confirmed the toll. Dr. Mohamed Saker, head of Nasser's nursing department, said it received 70 wounded people. He told The Associated Press that most people were shot in the head and chest. 'The situation is difficult and tragic,' he said, adding that the facility lacks medical supplies. Some of the wounded, including a child, were treated on the floor. One boy stood patiently, holding up a blood bag for someone on a stretcher. Meanwhile, Fares Awad, head of the Health Ministry's ambulance and emergency service in northern Gaza, said two people were killed in Gaza City when an airstrike hit a tent in a camp sheltering displaced families. In central Gaza, Al-Awda Hospital said 12 people were killed in an airstrike. The hospital and Hamas-run Interior Ministry said Omar Aqel, a local police official, was killed. Two children, including an infant, and five women — all relatives of Aqel — were among the dead. Al-Awda Hospital said it also received two people killed by an Israeli strike on a group of people in Bureij. Another strike on a house in the Gaza City neighborhood of Sheikh Radwan killed at least four, according to the Health Ministry's ambulance and emergency service. A strike that hit a cart in Tal al-Hawa in northern Gaza killed four, the service said. Israel's army had no comment on specific strikes but said it had struck some 90 targets throughout Gaza over the past day and killed militants and targeted 'terror infrastructure' in northern Gaza and Gaza City. Humanitarian crisis Gaza's more than 2 million Palestinians are in a catastrophic humanitarian crisis . Distribution at the GHF sites is often chaotic. Boxes of food are stacked on the ground and crowds surge in to grab whatever they can, according to witnesses and videos released by GHF. In videos obtained recently by the AP, GHF contractors are seen using tear gas and stun grenades to keep crowds behind metal fences or force them to disperse. Gunshots can be heard. Hamas triggered the 21-month war when it stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 others hostage. Israel's military offensive has killed over 58,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, displaced nearly all of Gaza's and caused widespread destruction. The ministry does not say how many militants are among the dead, but it says over half were women and children. The ministry is part of the Hamas government, but the U.N. and other international organizations see it as the most reliable source of data on casualties. Israel and Hamas have been holding ceasefire talks in Qatar, but international mediators say there have been no breakthroughs. West Bank church attack In the occupied West Bank, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee visited the Palestinian Christian village, Taybeh, where residents say extremist Israeli settlers set fire to the Church of St. George on July 9. Huckabee, an evangelical Christian who is normally strongly supportive of Israel, condemned the attack. 'To commit an act of sacrilege by desecrating a place that is supposed to be a place of worship — it's an act of terror and it's a crime,' he said. The West Bank has experienced a surge in settler violence since the war in Gaza began. Palestinians say Israeli security forces have done little to stop the violence, and few settlers have been punished. ___ Magdy reported from Cairo. ___ Follow AP's war coverage at Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
