The number of confirmed meningitis cases among children in the besieged enclave is now 35, Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza says, Al Jazeera reports.

Meningitis is the inflammation of the protective membranes and tissues that cover the spinal cord and brain, and is caused by various species of bacteria, fungi, parasites and viruses.

Doctors and aid workers have warned of epidemics given the dire humanitarian situation, and with the enclave’s health system on its knees. The UN has reported rising cases of severe acute malnutrition, chickenpox, jaundice and upper respiratory tract infections.