Nine-year-old boy in serious condition after infection caused by brain-eating amoeba
The boy was hospitalized with swelling in his brain and was subsequently sedated and ventilated in intensive care at Rambam Hospital.
A 9-year-old boy has been admitted to the hospital in critical condition due to encephalitis caused by Naegleria fowleri, commonly referred to as the "brain-eating amoeba." He was admitted to Rambam Medical Center with swelling in his brain, subsequently placed in intensive care under sedation and mechanical ventilation. The Health Ministry laboratory confirmed the diagnosis on Saturday night after receiving a sample.
According to the ministry, an investigation revealed that the boy had swum at Kursi Beach in the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) approximately a week prior to his hospitalization. The microscopic amoeba is present in both fresh and warm water sources and can cause a severe infection of the central nervous system if water containing the amoeba enters through the nose and travels to the brain.
The ministry stressed that although the infection has a high mortality rate, it is extremely rare, with fewer than 500 cases reported worldwide, including two in the US last year and three in Israel in recent years. The ministry urged the public to avoid getting water in their nose, especially when jumping, diving, or submerging their head in the water, by closing their nose or using a nose plug.
They also advised avoiding digging or stirring the bottom in shallow water, where the amoeba may be present in higher concentrations. If symptoms like fever, severe headache, nausea, vomiting, neck stiffness, confusion, or sudden change in consciousness, particularly accompanied by altered consciousness, appear, the public is advised to seek immediate medical attention and inform healthcare providers of their recent water exposure.
Written by urgent.news from Jerusalem Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
