14.04.2026 17:58
A 14-year-old middle school student, who was hospitalized in Zonguldak with suspected meningitis, has been fighting for his life in intensive care for a week. While concerns about an outbreak in the city increased following the meningitis claim, the student's father alleged negligence by the hospital, stating, 'They discharged him even though he had over 70% infection in his blood. They said this virus can take over the entire body in 6-12 hours; we lost 96 hours.'
Çağla Savaş (14), an 8th-grade student at Gazi Mustafa Kemal Middle School in the city center, was taken to the emergency room of Zonguldak Women's Maternity and Children's Hospital on April 4 with complaints such as fever and headache. According to the claim; after a blood test was performed, she was given serum and antibiotic treatment and discharged. The next day, seeing that their child was even worse, the family brought Çağla back to the same hospital's emergency room, and after similar treatment, she was discharged. On April 6, the family had Çağla examined by a specialist doctor as her headaches increased. Çağla was given antibiotic treatment and sent home.
IN INTENSIVE CARE FOR A WEEK The family administered the medications given to their child, and when the condition worsened, they applied to the same hospital's emergency room again on April 7. The same treatment was given again. When their child's complaints worsened further, the family applied to Zonguldak Bülent Ecevit University Hospital (BEUN) on April 8. After a tomography taken here, it was suspected that Çağla Savaş might have meningitis, and treatment in this direction was started. Çağla Savaş, who underwent brain surgery, was intubated because she could not breathe on her own. Çağla's treatment in intensive care has been ongoing for a week. Mother Gülşah Savaş and father Emrah Savaş, who have two other children besides Çağla, are waiting for good news from their daughter. On the other hand, the family does not leave the hospital at all so as not to miss the intensive care visitation right, which is three times a day.
"OUR CHILD'S HEAD WAS LEANING BACKWARDS" Father Emrah Savaş, stating that the meningitis diagnosis could have been made earlier but they lost 4 days due to misdiagnosis, said, "We went to the Women's Maternity and Children's Hospital at night with a severe headache. They did blood tests and such there. They gave the child serum there and sent her home. They discharged her even though there was over 70% infection in her blood. The next day, again the same, the child's headaches did not go away. We took her to the same emergency room again. Here they said the infection had increased. The child's headaches never go away, the medications they gave were antibiotics, 'Let's also show her to a specialist,' we said, we showed her on Monday. The specialist, looking at the blood tests done in the emergency room, prescribed the same serum, gave us a lower antibiotic and sent us away. I will also request the camera recordings. When I file a complaint, if you saw the child's exit images from the hospital; you would say, 'How are you letting this child go?' We are struggling to take the child, her mother on one arm, me on the other. And when going to the specialist, our child's head was leaning backwards by now. Leaning backwards is actually one of the most important symptoms of this disease. We are learning these things now here."
"WE LOST 96 HOURS" Emrah Savaş, explaining that his daughter's ailments did not go away and worsened even after the specialist examination, said, "The next evening my child became ill again, we went to the emergency room again, again the same. Nothing different at all. No one says, 'Let's get an MRI, let's get a tomography.' It was unbearable, 'Let's bring her to BEUN,' we said. We came here on the morning of the 4th day. When we came here, it was already too late. The process we experienced here was very difficult. What we heard, what our doctors told us, was not at all encouraging. But our little one is holding on, she had her surgery. Our surgery went well. After the surgery, she started to give reactions, with her eyes. A long process awaits us. They told us here that this virus is a virus that spreads very quickly. They said, 'It can take over the entire brain, the entire body in 6-12 hours.' But we lost 4 days there. 6 hours, 12 hours is nothing; we lost 96 hours. Take a tomography, if not, refer us here. For 4 days, the child was given the same serum."
"SO IT DOESN'T HAPPEN TO OTHERS" Father Savaş said, "She underwent an operation on the brain side to reduce the pressure in her head. It was a difficult process, although she relaxed due to that pressure, she is struggling with the breathing issue, her breath is from the machine, she was intubated. In intensive care, of course, we cannot leave. It's risky, because there is a risk, we are here. We cannot leave our child, we cannot go. I will do everything necessary, I will file complaints. It happened to us, so it doesn't happen to others."
STATEMENT FROM THE GOVERNORSHIP: NO SECOND MENINGITIS CASE A written statement was also made by the Zonguldak Governorship regarding the issue. The statement said, "The situation in question was recorded as a suspected case within the scope of the Provincial Health Directorate's notifiable diseases system; upon the notification made by the school administration to our Provincial Directorate of National Education, necessary coordination was provided between the Provincial Directorate of National Education and the Provincial Health Directorate. In this direction, on Thursday, April 9, 2026, at 09:00, necessary investigation and information activities were carried out at the school by Public Health teams. Within the scope of the work done; protective treatment has been initiated for close contact students, teachers, school cafeteria staff, and family members, and necessary information has been provided to the families. The meningitis suspicion news reflected in the press is being followed with sensitivity, and currently, no second suspected meningitis case has been detected. All health units, especially the Women's Maternity and Children's Hospital and Bülent Ecevit University Hospital Children's Emergency Services, are following the issue with sensitivity under the coordination of our Governorship."