Latest news with #medicalcrisis
Arab News
2 days ago
- Health
- Arab News
Eye hospital in Gaza reports 1,200 new cases of vision loss in July
LONDON: An eye hospital in Gaza reported on Monday nearly 1,200 new cases of complete or partial vision loss in July in the Palestinian coastal enclave as Israel continues its attacks and medical resources deplete. Dr. Abdel Salam Sabah, the director of the Eye Hospital in Gaza, reported that medical staff addressed nearly 1,200 new cases of complete or partial vision loss in Gaza City and the Al-Nasr neighborhood over the past two weeks. The hospital had previously recorded approximately 1,500 cases of total or partial blindness due to eye injuries, he said, while many others face progressive vision loss from untreated chronic illnesses. Dr. Sabah warned that 4,000 to 5,000 patients who regularly visited the hospital before the war in October 2023 are now without follow-up or treatment, putting them at serious risk of losing their sight. He added that severe malnutrition causes vitamin and mineral deficiencies, which increase the risk of vision impairment, particularly in patients with diabetes. Since March 2, 2025, Israeli forces have closed all border crossings with Gaza, greatly limiting the quantities of food and medical aid entering the enclave, which has led to a widespread famine. Since Israel's attack on Gaza in late 2023, there have been 58,895 Palestinian deaths, mainly among women and children, and 140,980 injuries.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Community support growing for Shaker Heights cheerleader, now leg amputee
CLEVELAND (WJW) — On a warm, sunny Tuesday, for the first time in more than a month, Amani Smith-McDaniel got to feel the fresh air on her face, surrounded by the people who love her most. 'She is doing awesome — way above the doctors, the nurses, anything in the medical book. She has surpassed it,' her mom Nicole McDaniel said. Standoff ends: Wanted man barricaded himself inside Brunswick home with female What began as a routine day at cheerleading camp last month turned into a medical crisis. Amani complained of stomach pain and within hours she was rushed into emergency surgery. Doctors discovered a ruptured abdominal cyst. An infection led to sepsis, a potentially fatal condition. Then, the unthinkable. As her parents explained from her hospital room last week: 'An artery was unfortunately nicked during the first surgery and there was no blood flow to her left leg for hours.' Her dad, Arthur McDaniel, said, 'Because she got no blood flow to that left leg, the muscles died, which would release a poison into her blood stream, which would make her fight even more with difficulty or she was not going to make it.' Sadly, Amani's left leg was amputated at the waist. Since then, her road to recovery at Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital has been long and emotional. Her story has captured the attention of many, especially in her hometown. 'It's a tight-knit group. Once you go through Shaker and once you have that experience, I think that you're really in it and together forever.' Keren Johnson, a wife and mother of three, was a stranger who became a family supporter and friend. With the family needing major support, including help with medical bills, transportation and even housing, Johnson said she's been on a mission. She expects to help with housing and transportation once Amani is released. 'They live in a traditional, multi-family style home on the second and third floor, and I was like, 'well, that's a problem,' because when she gets out of the hospital, how is she gonna get up and down the stairs?' Johnson said. 'There are car dealerships around, there are places that could potentially donate a sprinter van.' This is Ohio's favorite ice cream flavor, according to study Donations have poured in since a GoFundMe was established just days ago. It's a reflection of how deeply Amani's story is resonating — not just in Shaker Heights, but far beyond. 'Overwhelming, but in a very good way,' Nicole said. 'But it goes to show people really do have a heart and to see Amani from a month ago. She's a miracle.' Amani is expected to remain hospitalized at Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital until current stomach issues are resolved. She will then head to rehabilitation, but her family is praying she will be able to return to school for her senior year at Shaker Heights High School — and dancing and cheering again. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
At least 25 hospitalized after mass overdose in Baltimore
At least 25 people were hospitalized Thursday following a 'level one' mass overdose event in Baltimore. Baltimore City police and fire officials said paramedics first responded to a 911 call for a single overdose around 9:25 a.m. in the Penn-North neighborhood. Upon arriving at the scene, they discovered multiple other people collapsed in the streets. At least five of the victims were in critical condition, officials told NBC affiliate WBAL. Authorities said the number of overdoses is expected to rise as they search for other suspected cases in the area. Officials did not disclose what substances the victims had used, though community organizers told The Baltimore Banner there were rumors of a 'bad batch' of drugs in the neighborhood. 'It's like a mass shooting,' drug treatment outreach worker Vincent Timmons told the Banner, but 'they didn't use no gun, they used narcotics.' Deputy Baltimore Police Commissioner Kevin Jones said rescue crews were searching back alleys and vacant homes, looking for additional people experiencing a medical crisis. The Baltimore City Mayor's Office of Overdose Response urged residents to call for help if they see anyone in need of assistance. 'We don't know what's in the supply, and so for folks to be careful if they're using, to have Narcan available. Use with someone else,' Executive Director Sara Whaley said in a statement. 'If you see someone in your community that looks like they need help, make sure they call emergency services.' The International Association of Firefighters in Baltimore said the tragic event 'once again underscores the severity of the opioid crisis in Baltimore and the systemic strain it places on emergency services.' They called on the city council and mayor to restore and expand the fire department's recently downgraded advanced life support units and reallocate funding to hire and retain sufficient paramedics.
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
More than 100 premature babies in Gaza at risk as hospitals run out of fuel
Two of Gaza's largest hospitals have issued desperate pleas for help, warning that fuel shortages caused by Israel's siege could soon turn the medical centres into 'silent graveyards'. The warnings from al-Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza City and Nasser Hospital in southern Khan Younis came on Wednesday, as Israeli forces continued to bombard the Palestinian enclave, killing at least 74 people. Muhammad Abu Salmiyah, the director of al-Shifa Hospital, Gaza's largest facility, told reporters that the lives of more than 100 premature babies and some 350 dialysis patients were at risk. 'Oxygen stations will stop working. A hospital without oxygen is no longer a hospital. The lab and blood banks will shut down, and the blood units in the refrigerators will spoil,' Salmiyah said. 'The hospital will cease to be a place of healing and will become a graveyard for those inside,' he said. Abu Salmiyah went on to accuse Israel of 'trickle-feeding' fuel to Gaza's hospitals, and said that al-Shifa's dialysis department had already been shut down to conserve power for the intensive care unit and operating rooms, which cannot be without electricity for even a few Khan Younis, the Nasser Medical Complex said it, too, has entered 'the crucial and final hours' due to the fuel shortages. 'With the fuel counter nearing zero, doctors have entered the battle to save lives in a race against time, death, and darkness,' the hospital said in a statement. 'Medical teams fight to the last breath. They have only their conscience and hope in those who hear the call – save Nasser Medical Complex before it turns into a silent graveyard for patients who could have been saved.' Mohammed Sakr, a spokesman for the hospital, told the Reuters news agency that the facility needs 4,500 litres (1,189 gallons) of fuel per day to function, but it now has only 3,000 litres (790 gallons) – enough to last 24 hours. Sakr said doctors are performing surgeries without electricity or air conditioning, and the sweat from staff is dripping into patients' wounds, risking infection. A video from Nasser Hospital, posted on social media, shows doctors sweating profusely as they perform a surgery. 'Everything is turned off here. The air conditioning is turned off. No fans,' a doctor says in the video as he demonstrates conditions in the ward. 'All the staff are exhausted, they are complaining [about the] high temperature.' Israel's relentless bombardment has decimated Gaza's healthcare system in the 21 months since it launched its assault on the Palestinian enclave in the wake of the Hamas-led attacks of October 7, 2023. Since then, there have been more than 600 recorded attacks on health facilities in Gaza, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). As of May this year, only 19 of Gaza's 36 hospitals remain partially operational, with 94 percent of all hospitals damaged or destroyed. Israeli forces have also killed more than 1,500 health workers in Gaza, and detained 185, according to official figures. The WHO, meanwhile, has described Gaza's health sector as being 'on its knees', with shortages of fuel, medical supplies and frequent arrivals of mass casualties from Israeli attacks. Marwan al-Hams, the director of field hospitals in Gaza, told Al Jazeera that 'hundreds' of people could die in the territory if fuel supplies are not brought in urgently. This includes 'dozens' of premature babies who could die within the next two days, he said. Dialysis and intensive care patients would also lose their lives, he said, adding that the injuries of the wounded were worsening amid deteriorating conditions, while diseases like meningitis were spreading. UNICEF spokesperson James Elder, who recently returned from Gaza, said, 'You can have the best hospital staff on the planet', but if they are denied medicine and fuel, operating a health facility 'becomes an impossibility'. Israel's war on Gaza has killed at least 57,575 people and wounded 136,879, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. An estimated 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the October 7, 2023 attacks, and more than 200 were taken captive.
Al Jazeera
10-07-2025
- Health
- Al Jazeera
More than 100 premature babies in Gaza at risk as hospitals run out of fuel
Two of Gaza's largest hospitals have issued desperate pleas for help, warning that fuel shortages caused by Israel's siege could soon turn the medical centres into 'silent graveyards'. The warnings from al-Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza City and Nasser Hospital in southern Khan Younis came on Wednesday, as Israeli forces continued to bombard the Palestinian enclave, killing at least 74 people. Muhammad Abu Salmiyah, the director of al-Shifa Hospital, Gaza's largest facility, told reporters that the lives of more than 100 premature babies and some 350 dialysis patients were at risk. 'Oxygen stations will stop working. A hospital without oxygen is no longer a hospital. The lab and blood banks will shut down, and the blood units in the refrigerators will spoil,' Salmiyah said. 'The hospital will cease to be a place of healing and will become a graveyard for those inside,' he said. Abu Salmiyah went on to accuse Israel of 'trickle-feeding' fuel to Gaza's hospitals, and said that al-Shifa's dialysis department had already been shut down to conserve power for the intensive care unit and operating rooms, which cannot be without electricity for even a few minutes. In Khan Younis, the Nasser Medical Complex said it, too, has entered 'the crucial and final hours' due to the fuel shortages. 'With the fuel counter nearing zero, doctors have entered the battle to save lives in a race against time, death, and darkness,' the hospital said in a statement. 'Medical teams fight to the last breath. They have only their conscience and hope in those who hear the call – save Nasser Medical Complex before it turns into a silent graveyard for patients who could have been saved.' Mohammed Sakr, a spokesman for the hospital, told the Reuters news agency that the facility needs 4,500 litres (1,189 gallons) of fuel per day to function, but it now has only 3,000 litres (790 gallons) – enough to last 24 hours. Sakr said doctors are performing surgeries without electricity or air conditioning, and the sweat from staff is dripping into patients' wounds, risking infection. A video from Nasser Hospital, posted on social media, shows doctors sweating profusely as they perform a surgery. 'Everything is turned off here. The air conditioning is turned off. No fans,' a doctor says in the video as he demonstrates conditions in the ward. 'All the staff are exhausted, they are complaining [about the] high temperature.' Israel's relentless bombardment has decimated Gaza's healthcare system in the 21 months since it launched its assault on the Palestinian enclave in the wake of the Hamas-led attacks of October 7, 2023. Since then, there have been more than 600 recorded attacks on health facilities in Gaza, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). As of May this year, only 19 of Gaza's 36 hospitals remain partially operational, with 94 percent of all hospitals damaged or destroyed. Israeli forces have also killed more than 1,500 health workers in Gaza, and detained 185, according to official figures. The WHO, meanwhile, has described Gaza's health sector as being 'on its knees', with shortages of fuel, medical supplies and frequent arrivals of mass casualties from Israeli attacks. Marwan al-Hams, the director of field hospitals in Gaza, told Al Jazeera that 'hundreds' of people could die in the territory if fuel supplies are not brought in urgently. This includes 'dozens' of premature babies who could die within the next two days, he said. Dialysis and intensive care patients would also lose their lives, he said, adding that the injuries of the wounded were worsening amid deteriorating conditions, while diseases like meningitis were spreading. UNICEF spokesperson James Elder, who recently returned from Gaza, said, 'You can have the best hospital staff on the planet', but if they are denied medicine and fuel, operating a health facility 'becomes an impossibility'. Israel's war on Gaza has killed at least 57,575 people and wounded 136,879, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. An estimated 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the October 7, 2023 attacks, and more than 200 were taken captive.
