Boy Dies From Rare Brain-Eating Amoeba After Swimming in Sea of Galilee

A 9-year-old boy has died from a severe brain inflammation caused by the rare amoeba Naegleria fowleri, the Ministry of Health announced. The child was hospitalized at Rambam Medical Center with the infection, which was confirmed by laboratory tests. An epidemiological investigation revealed that the boy had been swimming at Kursi Beach on the Sea of Galilee approximately one week before his hospitalization. On September 6, the ministry reported the boy was in critical condition, under anesthesia and on a ventilator in Rambam's intensive care unit.

Naegleria fowleri typically thrives in warm freshwater. In rare instances, when contaminated water enters the nose, the amoeba can travel to the central nervous system and cause a rapidly fatal condition known as primary amebic meningoencephalitis. Infection cannot occur by drinking water and is not transmitted from person to person.

According to the Ministry of Health, four cases of Naegleria fowleri infection have been diagnosed in Israel since 2022, including the current one. The first case was identified in 2022, and two more occurred in the summer of 2024, both linked to the Hof Gai water park on the Sea of Galilee. Globally, fewer than 500 cases have been documented.

Following the recent case, the Ministry of Health advised swimmers in the Sea of Galilee to avoid getting water in their noses, use nose clips, refrain from diving or submerging their heads, and avoid stirring up sediment in shallow areas.