Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare paralyzing disease erupting in Gaza due to contaminated food and water

Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) causes progressive paralysis and can be fatal after viral or bacterial infection triggers the immune system to attack the body. The World Health Organization detected 85 cases in Gaza since June, and the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health reported three deaths. The disease is being linked to contaminated food and consumption of untreated water after destruction of water and sanitation networks. Bombing and blockade have forced use of wastewater for drinking, cooking, and cleaning. Effective treatments exist but the main WHO-recommended therapy is not available in Gaza, raising the risk of further spread amid ongoing attacks and shortages. Hospitals previously recorded polio, cholera, hepatitis A and scabies outbreaks during 23 months of fighting.

Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS), which is caused by a viral or bacterial infection, causes the immune system to attack the body, weakening muscles and progressively paralyzing different parts of the body. The World Health Organization (WHO) has detected 85 cases in the enclave since June. Three of these patients have died, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health. The WHO acknowledges that the cause of the disease is not fully understood, but it is being linked to contaminated food or the consumption of untreated water.

In Gaza, Israeli bombs have destroyed water and sanitation networks, creating an unhealthy ecosystem in the same territory where obtaining water for drinking, cooking, cleaning, or washing is a daily challenge, forcing the use of wastewater. Now, specialists warn that the disease will spread as long as Israel persists with its attacks and humanitarian blockade, which prevents the contamination and shortages on the ground from being addressed.

In most cases, GBS allows for a subsequent recovery, often after a period of care in an intensive care unit (ICU). The disease has no official cure, but there are effective treatments. According to the WHO, the main one is not available in the Gaza Strip. The outbreak marks the spread of yet another infectious disease in the 23 months of fighting in the enclave, after Gazan hospitals also detected outbreaks of polio, cholera, hepatitis A, and scabies.

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