Health Ministry Warns Against Swimming at Kinneret Beach After Abnormal Water Tests

Israel's Ministry of Health issued a bathing warning on Thursday for the HaShikmim beach on the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) due to abnormal microbial findings in water quality tests. The ministry stated that these findings necessitated the public warning regarding swimming at this specific location.

In addition to the localized warning, the Ministry of Health reiterated its general guideline advising the public to swim only at designated and recognized beaches. This advisory aims to ensure public safety by directing swimmers to areas that meet established safety standards.

The ministry also reported a separate, tragic incident involving a child who died from a rare amoebic brain infection. The child had been hospitalized at Rambam Health Care Campus after contracting the infection from the Naegleria fowleri amoeba. An epidemiological investigation revealed that the child had swum at the Kinneret's Kinneret beach approximately one week prior to their hospitalization.

The Ministry of Health confirmed the identification of the Naegleria fowleri amoeba in laboratory tests and included this confirmation along with the investigation's findings in their public statement. The ministry expressed its condolences to the child's family.