A study conducted at the Galilee Medical Center of Syrian civilians treated by Israel during the Syrian civil war shows a disturbing prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria among those brought for treatment.
According to a report published in the Israel Medical Association’s newsletter, Refuah, the Galilee Medical Center study shows that 78% of Syrian children who were brought to the center for treatment were carrying bacteria resistant to antibiotics.
Because of the rise in the number of children from Syria carrying infectious diseases, hospital officials have taken the precaution of placing all newly arriving Syrian children in quarantine until medical examinations on them are complete. All new arrivals also receive tetanus vaccinations.
A total of 47 Syrian children have been treated at the Galilee Medical Center, the Refuah report noted, with 37 of them testing positive for bacteria resistant to antibiotics.
The report added that the “rate of carriers of antibiotic-resistant bacteria” among the Syrian children was “extremely high” in comparison to the number of carriers among Israeli children treated at the same hospital.