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

A nine-year-old boy, Baruch Neria from Pardes Hanna, has died from an infection caused by the brain-eating amoeba Naegleria fowleri, after swimming at the Kursi beach on the Sea of Galilee. Doctors at Rambam Hospital in Haifa confirmed his death on September 24, two weeks after he was hospitalized in critical condition with amoebic encephalitis. His funeral was scheduled for September 25.

An initial investigation indicated the boy contracted the amoeba about a week before hospitalization while swimming in the Sea of Galilee. Upon admission to Rambam, he was placed in a medically induced coma and put on a ventilator in the pediatric intensive care unit.

The Ministry of Health described the infection as extremely rare and highly lethal, with fewer than 500 cases reported globally, including two in the U.S. last year. In Israel, besides Baruch Neria, three other cases have been identified in recent years, two of which were fatal.

Dr. Rotem Lapidot, head of pediatric infectious diseases at Rambam, explained that Naegleria fowleri thrives in warm freshwater, typically above 28 degrees Celsius (82.4 degrees Fahrenheit), and enters the brain through the nose. She stressed that transmission is rare, not person-to-person, and cannot occur from drinking water. "We come into contact with this amoeba, and in most cases, we don't even know about it. In rare cases, it manages to penetrate the brain and cause a severe infection," she stated.

Symptoms, appearing 5-6 days after exposure, include fever, headache, vomiting, nausea, and neurological changes. Lapidot advised seeking immediate medical attention for a combination of fever, headache, and altered consciousness.

This incident follows two other cases in July 2024 involving visitors to an aqua park at Hof Gai beach on the Sea of Galilee. A 26-year-old man died, while a 10-year-old boy remains hospitalized in serious condition, receiving experimental treatment. Doctors noted the infection's mortality rate can reach 97% if detected late, with overall survival chances around 10%. The amoeba travels from the nose to the brain via olfactory nerves, and no specific treatment exists.