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Nine-year-old boy contracts life-threatening infection from brain-eating amoeba
The Jerusalem Post • • health
Key Points:
- A 9-year-old boy is in serious condition with encephalitis caused by Naegleria fowleri, the "brain-eating amoeba," after swimming at Kursi Beach in the Sea of Galilee.
- The boy was admitted to Rambam Medical Center, sedated, and ventilated in intensive care; laboratory tests confirmed the amoeba infection.
- Naegleria fowleri is a rare but deadly amoeba found in warm freshwater that infects the brain when contaminated water enters the nose.
- The Health Ministry stressed the infection is extremely rare, not transmissible through drinking water or person-to-person contact, and has caused only a few cases in Israel and worldwide.
- To reduce risk, the ministry advises avoiding water entering the nose during freshwater activities, using nose plugs, and avoiding disturbing sediment in shallow water.
