Medics in the towns of Madaya and Bukain in Rural Damascus said that residents of the besieged towns began to show signs of what the medics believe is meningitis. The medics warned of the outbreak of the serious disease in the two towns as they lack the necessary treatment and equipment to accurately diagnose the disease.
Meningitis is an inflammation of the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord (meninges). It is a serious disease marked by intense headache and fever, sensitivity to light, and muscular rigidity. The signs appeared mainly among children in Madaya and Bukain, which are under crippling siege by regime forces and the Hezbollah militia.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the Medical Committee in Madaya and Bukain described the medical conditions in the two towns as extremely critical as a result of the siege.
Regime forces and the Hezbollah militia continue to prevent UN agencies and relief teams from entering the two towns to provide food aid and life-saving medical equipment. The siege has led to the spread of malnutrition among the residents, especially among children.
The committee said that civilians in Madaya and Bukain suffer tragic conditions as a result of the lack of food, drinkable water and medicine. No relief aid has been introduced to the two towns in the past three months.
In addition to signs of meningitis, the Committee said that they recorded a sharp increase in cases of fainting due to malnutrition and the lack of necessary intake of calories, with the immunity system of the civilians trapped inside severely weakened.
The Committee appealed to the United Nations, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Syrian Red Crescent and Doctors Without Borders (MSF) to take urgent action and assume their responsibilities to prevent further outbreak of the disease. The Committee also called for opening humanitarian corridors and the immediate introduction of vital foodstuffs. (Source: Syrian Coalition)
