Another case of a soldier who was injured in Gaza and infected with a fungus:
Hanan was seriously injured in Gaza seven weeks ago and since then he has been hospitalized in intensive care in Sheba.
In addition to the serious injury he is suffering from, he was also infected with a rare fungus that penetrated his body systems.
After his family appealed for help and asked for assistance in obtaining a national medicine that is in Ireland, we are announcing this evening (Sunday) that a solution has been found.
Documentation from inside the helicopter: this is how Unit 669 evacuated the wounded from deep in the Gaza Strip // IDF Spokesman
The soldier will be able to immediately and temporarily receive this drug, which has already been brought to Israel for another patient who no longer needs it, and at the same time the experimental drug from Pfizer, called Fosmanogepix, will be brought to Israel for him.
More than 20 cases of infections
A message circulated in many groups on the Internet reads: "Tomorrow morning, an Israeli couple will fly to Israel who can bring the medicine but are currently unable to get the medicine from the company - WEP. The urgency is critical to his life at the level of hours. These are matters of souls, so we are checking every possibility - does anyone have a way to reach the company Is this urgent today to enable the collection of the medicine?"
As mentioned, at Shiba they found an immediate solution, which was approved by the company, because it is an experimental drug and the soldier will be able to start receiving the treatment immediately, when at the same time the drug will be brought for him from abroad.
Evacuation of a wounded soldier (archive), photo: Oren Ben Hakon
So far, we have learned about more than 20 cases of soldiers who were seriously injured fighting in Gaza and during their hospitalization it was discovered that they also suffered from fungal or mold infection that endangered their lives.
At the beginning of December, a soldier died who was very seriously injured and was hospitalized in intensive care at "Assuta" Ashdod, who during the hospitalization underwent an amputation due to the deterioration of his condition.
The doctors fought for his life and even consulted with experts from abroad, but in addition to losing a lot of blood and his serious condition, he was also infected in Gaza with a fungal infection found in the local soil, so his condition deteriorated rapidly.
Not only in Gaza
Another soldier who suffered from a fungal infection and was in serious condition was also hospitalized in Sheba.
The Association for Infectious Diseases reported about 20 cases of infections among soldiers and even published professional guidelines for all experts in which cases cultures should be taken for the early detection of such an infection and what drug treatment can be given.
Prof. Oren Zemchouni, Director of the Infectious Diseases Unit at the Kaplan Medical Center, Photo: Gilad Shaevni Shopan
The fungi and molds in question enter the body through the soldiers' wounds or necrotic tissues and may spread through the bloodstream and damage internal organs.
It should be noted that this is an infection that is not contagious and does not pass from patient to patient, so there is no fear that it will spread in hospitals among the wounded.
In addition, as the experts say, this is not a fungus unique to the soil of the Strip.
The director of the Infectious Diseases Unit at the Kaplan Medical Center and a member of the Infectious Diseases Association, Prof. Oren Tzamchouni, explained to "Israel Hayom" what the infection in question is: "In injuries that are exposed to soil, molds and fungi may invade the blood, and this is a known fact that exists in any environmental exposure of wounds penetrate, not only in the soil of Gaza. A combination of prolonged exposure to the soil and the presence of damaged and necrotic tissues constitutes a convenient substrate for the spread of molds."
Were we wrong?
We will fix it!
If you found an error in the article, we would appreciate it if you shared it with us