Boy hospitalized with encephalitis in suspected case of brain-eating amoeba

A 10-year-old child suffering from encephalitis is on a ventilator in the intensive care unit at Ziv Hospital in Safed, the Health Ministry reports.

The ministry is now conducting an epidemiological investigation to learn if the child contracted the disease as a result of a rare amoeba, Naegleria fowleri.

In early July, a 25-year-old man who contracted encephalitis caused by Naegleria fowleri died. In August 2022, a 36-year-old man died of primary amoebic meningoencephalitis, a brain infection caused by the same amoeba.

Those are the only two recorded cases in Israel. Only some 400 cases have ever been diagnosed worldwide.

The Naegleria fowleri amoeba 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.

It is not yet known how the boy contracted the disease.

While Naegleria fowleri thrives in warm water, most people who swim in water sources containing the amoeba do not come into contact with it.

The mortality rate from encephalitis — an infection of the brain — caused by the amoeba is extremely high.

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.