Boy Hospitalized in Serious Condition After Swimming in Sea of Galilee
A nine-year-old boy is hospitalized in serious condition at Rambam Medical Center in Haifa after contracting a rare brain-eating amoeba. The child is sedated and on a respirator in the intensive care unit. Health Ministry laboratories confirmed on Tuesday night that the boy was infected with Naegleria fowleri, a rare amoeba that causes primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM).
An initial epidemiological investigation revealed that the boy swam at Kursi Beach on the Sea of Galilee approximately one week before his hospitalization. This type of amoeba is typically found in warm freshwater sources. Infection occurs when water containing the amoeba enters the nose, allowing the amoeba to travel to the brain.
The Health Ministry emphasized that the disease is not contracted by drinking water and cannot be transmitted from person to person. PAM is a rare but often fatal infection.
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