Child diagnosed with brain-eating amoeba weeks after man’s death; visited same waterpark
Health Ministry orders closure of Gai Beach in Sea of Galilee until further notice, as 2nd case of brain infection caused by Naegleria fowleri raises concern of contaminated pools
A 10-year-old boy was in serious condition Wednesday after contracting naegleriasis, commonly known as brain-eating amoeba, health officials said.
The Health Ministry said he was believed to have caught the extremely dangerous amoeba at the same location on the shores of the Sea of Galilee as a man who died from the brain infection earlier this month.
The boy is only the third person ever diagnosed in Israel with the extremely rare condition, coming swiftly after the second case.
The child, who is on a ventilator in the intensive care unit at Ziv Medical Center in Safed, had visited a waterpark at Gai Beach in northern Israel around three weeks ago, the Health Ministry said. A 25-year-old man who passed away in early July after contracting the rare Naegleria fowleri amoeba had visited the same waterpark.
Naegleria fowleri lives in soil and warm freshwater, such as lakes, rivers and hot springs. It is commonly called the “brain-eating amoeba” due to the brain infection it can cause if water containing the amoeba goes up the nose, according to the US Centers for Disease Control.
While Naegleria fowleri thrives in warm water, most people who swim in water sources containing the amoeba do not come into contact with it.
Symptoms of infection often include headaches, fever, nausea, vomiting, and a stiff neck, as well as neurological symptoms such as confusion, seizures and hallucinations. It requires immediate medical attention and is often fatal.
The waterpark has been closed until further notice, the Health Ministry said, and samples have been taken from its pools for further testing. It added that if members of the public who visited Gai Beach in the last month are experiencing any of the symptoms associated with infection, they should visit the emergency room.
The Health Ministry tested the water around Gai Beach following the first case of infection, but no initial evidence of amoeba contamination was found.
According to Channel 12, the child was admitted to the hospital four days after he began experiencing symptoms. The medical team initially suspected that he had meningitis but further testing indicated Naegleria fowleri.
Only some 400 cases have ever been diagnosed worldwide.
