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

A 9-year-old boy has died from a rare infection caused by the brain-eating amoeba Naegleria fowleri, two and a half weeks after being hospitalized in serious condition. The Ministry of Health confirmed the death on Thursday, stating the child passed away at Rambam Medical Center. He had been admitted with encephalitis, placed under sedation, and on a respirator in the intensive care unit.

An epidemiological investigation revealed the boy had swum in the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) at Kursi Beach about a week before his hospitalization. Health Ministry labs confirmed the presence of the Naegleria fowleri amoeba. This amoeba is extremely rare, with fewer than 500 cases reported worldwide. In Israel, three cases have been diagnosed in recent years.

The amoeba is typically found in warm, fresh water sources. Infection can occur when water containing the amoeba enters the nose, potentially reaching the brain. The disease is not contracted by drinking water and is not contagious between people.

Health officials advise avoiding getting water in the nose while swimming in warm, fresh water, especially when jumping, diving, or submerging the head. Stirring up the bottom in shallow water, where the amoeba might be more concentrated, is also discouraged.

While rare, the disease can progress rapidly. Symptoms such as fever, severe headache, nausea, vomiting, stiff neck, confusion, unusual drowsiness, or altered consciousness after exposure to warm, fresh water require immediate medical attention, and it is crucial to inform medical staff about the water exposure.