Israeli Boy, 9, Dies From Rare Brain-Eating Amoeba After Lake Tiberias Swim

A nine-year-old boy from Pardes Hanna, Neria Baruch, has died after contracting a rare and deadly amoeba, Naegleria fowleri, commonly known as the "brain-eating amoeba." He became infected while swimming at the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) on September 6th. Doctors at Rambam Health Care Campus fought for nearly three weeks to save his life, but he succumbed to the infection on Thursday.

The Ministry of Health had announced the boy's critical condition on September 6th, stating he was sedated and on a ventilator due to encephalitis caused by the amoeba. An epidemiological investigation revealed that Neria had been swimming at the Kinneret's Korsi beach about a week before his hospitalization. He was initially admitted to a different hospital before being transferred to Rambam.

Professor Dani Eitan, Director of Pediatric Intensive Care at Rambam, had previously stated that the suspected infection was based on the clinical presentation, lab results, and the boy's exposure to the Kinneret's waters. Naegleria fowleri is a single-celled organism found in warm freshwater. In rare cases, it can enter the body through the nose, travel to the brain, destroy tissue, and cause severe swelling and inflammation.

The disease is not contracted by drinking water and is not contagious between people. Initial symptoms include severe headache, fever, nausea, and vomiting, potentially progressing to stiff neck, confusion, seizures, and loss of consciousness. The amoeba is extremely deadly, with a mortality rate exceeding 97%. Between 1962 and 2024, only four out of 167 documented cases in the United States survived. There is no single proven effective treatment, though aggressive therapy combining multiple drugs and managing brain swelling is recommended.