Meningitis outbreak rages among children in Syria's Raqqa

The city of Raqqa in northern Syria recently recorded hundreds of meningitis cases, local media reported last week.

At least 386 infections were recorded by May 24, with local authorities warning residents that the disease was spreading significantly. 

Rising meningitis cases coincided with the passage of several sandstorms, which wreaked damage on camps around Raqqa in May. Following the storms, several camp residents were hospitalised due to breathing difficulties, the Kurdish North Press Agency reported.

Meningitis is a serious and potentially deadly infection of the brain and spinal cord caused by bacteria, virus or fungi. Children are particularly vulnerable to it. When it doesn't kill, the disease can have lifelong consequences - sometimes causing permanent damage to the brain, chronic seizures, and deafness.

The spread of viral meningitis is facilitated by crowded living conditions, which are prevalent in displacement camps. Another factor limiting the prevention of the disease is widespread poverty: with an estimated 90% of Syrians now living under the poverty line, many families are unable to seek proper care in time, being unable to afford transportation and medicine.

The connection between sandstorms and the spread of meningitis has been well documented in the Sahel region of West Africa, where sandstorms are frequent.  Scientists hypothesise that breathing in sand and dust can carry the bacteria responsible for meningitis high up into the respiratory tract, where the infection is more likely to develop.

Sandstorms in the Middle East are becoming more frequent and intense, a trend associated with overgrazing and deforestation, overuse of river water, and climate change. 

Findings from the UN Environment Program (UNEP) suggest meningitis outbreaks could increase correspondingly in the coming years.