Israeli Boy Dies After Contracting Rare Brain-Eating Amoeba

A nine-year-old boy, Baruch Neria from Pardes Hanna, has died at Rambam Medical Center in Haifa after contracting a rare amoeba, Naegleria fowleri, which causes severe inflammation of the central nervous system. The boy had reportedly been swimming at Kursi Beach on the Sea of Galilee about a week before being hospitalized in early September. The amoeba, known as the "brain-eating amoeba," typically inhabits warm freshwater and can enter the body through the nose, subsequently attacking the central nervous system. Infections are extremely rare but highly dangerous, with fewer than 500 cases recorded globally. In the United States, two cases were reported last year, and Israel has seen three cases in recent years. Initial symptoms often include high fever, severe headache, nausea, vomiting, and neurological disturbances affecting consciousness.