Child Dies From Rare Brain Infection After Swimming in Sea of Galilee
A child has died from a rare and aggressive brain infection after swimming in the Sea of Galilee, the Ministry of Health announced Thursday. The child had been admitted to Rambam Hospital suffering from encephalitis caused by the Naegleria fowleri amoeba, a type of "brain-eating amoeba." Health Ministry lab tests confirmed the presence of the Naegleria fowleri.
An epidemiological investigation revealed the child swam at the Kursi beach on the Sea of Galilee approximately one week before being hospitalized. The ministry emphasized that infections from this amoeba are extremely rare, with fewer than 500 cases reported globally. Israel has seen only three such cases in recent years.
The Naegleria fowleri amoeba is typically found in warm freshwater and can cause primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), a devastating infection that destroys brain tissue. The infection is almost always fatal.
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