The IDF reported on Wednesday that Staff Sergeant Hanan Drori, a 26-year-old reserve soldier who was wounded in battle in the Gaza Strip in December and contracted a dangerous antibiotic-resistant fungal infection, died on Wednesday. He was hospitalized at Sheba Medical Center in serious condition, and all attempts to stabilize his condition had failed.
More stories:
The hospital and Drori's family reached out to pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, seeking to obtain an experimental drug named Fosmanogepix from Ireland to Israel, supported by public crowdfunding, in an effort to aid the soldier. Unfortunately, the treatment did not improve his condition.
Drori sustained injuries from anti-tank fire, leading to severe infections. Initially rushed to Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon, he was subsequently moved to Sheba Medical Center near Tel Aviv for advanced treatment and admitted to the intensive care unit.
Sheba Associate Director-General Prof. Arnon Afek said Tuesday that in addition to severe limb and abdominal injuries, the soldier also suffered from fungal infections commonly seen in such severe wounds. He noted that the hospital usually manages to treat them with anti-fungal treatment, but in this case, conventional treatment was not able to stop the infection.
The hospital appealed to Pfizer, which specializes in the development of powerful anti-fungal drugs and authorized the compassionate use of the experimental drug of WEP Clinical from Dublin, Ireland. "We spare no effort for our soldiers, and fight for their lives," Prof. Afek said.
Back in December, another IDF soldier had died from a deadly fungus he had contracted in the Gaza Strip. The soldier was admitted to Samson Assuta Ashdod University Hospital with severe limb injuries and was found to have contracted a drug-resistant fungus during combat.
Despite doctors employing every available treatment, including experimental options from overseas, and consulting numerous experts, he eventually succumbed to the infection.