Health officials point out that PAM is caused by Naegleria fowleri, an amoeba that thrives in warm freshwater lakes, ponds and rivers. It can also survive in poorly maintained swimming pools in rare cases.
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Islamabad:

In a rare occurrence, a 22-year-old man died of primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) in Pakistan’s Karachi, taking the tally of casualties to three this year, ARY News reported.

PAM is notably a disease of the central nervous system caused by Naegleria fowleri commonly called ‘brain-eating’ amoeba.

The victim was identified as Aurangzeb. He contracted the disease following a picnic with his friends at a farmhouse in Quaidabad on July 7, where the group had also gone for a swim. The next day, Aurangzeb started showing symptoms, which included nausea and fever.

He was admitted to the hospital on July 10, and the virus was confirmed on July 11. A resident of Cattle Colony, Aurangzeb, was under treatment at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), as per ARY News.

The youth had gone for a picnic with friends at a farmhouse in Quaidabad on July 7, where they swam in the pool. Aurangzeb started showing symptoms on July 8, including fever, headache, and nausea. He was admitted to the hospital on July 10, and the virus was confirmed on July 11.

The 22-year-old Aurangzeb was the third victim of the deadly infection this year in the city, with the other two cases reported in Korangi and Malir earlier, according to ARY News.

The infection has claimed the lives of people across various regions of Pakistan earlier as well. At least 10 people died of Naegleria fowleri last year. The infection is found to be fatal in 98 per cent of the cases.

Naegleria, a free-living amoeba, is frequently found in warm, freshwater (lakes, rivers, and hot springs) and soil.

Only one species, Naegleria fowleri, infects humans.

It infects people when water containing the amoeba enters the body via the nose. This often occurs when people swim, dive, or submerge their heads in fresh water, such as lakes and rivers. The amoeba then travels up the nose and into the brain, where it damages brain tissue and causes PAM, according to ARY News.

After symptoms begin, the disease progresses rapidly and usually causes death within five days. The germ cannot survive in cool, clean and chlorinated water.

The earliest symptoms of PAM often appear approximately five days after infection and may include headache, fever, nausea, or vomiting. Later symptoms may include a stiff neck, confusion, loss of attention to people and surroundings, seizures, hallucinations, and coma.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

A 25-year-old man has died after being infected with ‘brain-eating amoeba’, likely during a swim at a popular beach in Israel. According to Times Of Israel, the Israeli man, who officials have not publicly named, is thought to have potentially come into contact with the amoeba while swimming at Gai Beach on the shores of the Kinneret in northern Israel.

The man, without underlying health conditions, was initially admitted to Sharon Hospital last Tuesday after presenting with symptoms including fever, headaches, and vomiting. After his condition worsened, he was transferred to Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikvah. Despite the best treatments, he died on Sunday. 

The hospital said, ”Medical teams used everything at their disposal, including drug treatments and surgical interventions to save the patient’s life, but his condition continued to deteriorate.”

Notably, this is the second-ever case recorded in Israel. A  healthy 36-year-old man from northern Israel died of severe brain inflammation after contracting the amoeba in August 2022. 

In India, the rare brain infection has claimed three lives. Last week, a 14-year-old boy in Kerala died from the infection he contracted while swimming in contaminated water. The first instance was the death of a five-year-old girl from Malappuram on May 21 and the second was a 13-year-old girl from Kannur who died on June 25. 

What is Naegleria fowleri, the brain-eating amoeba?

The Naegleria fowleri amoeba, commonly described as brain-eating amoeba because it destroys brain tissue, is typically found in bodies of warm freshwater such as lakes, rivers, or hot springs, and more rarely in poorly maintained under-chlorinated swimming pools. 

Swimming or diving in water containing this amoeba can enter their bodies through the nose. Once in the nasal passages, Naegleria fowleri can travel to the brain, resulting in inflammation of the brain tissue and causing a severe infection called primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), as per the Cleveland Clinic. 

Symptoms can include headaches, fever, nausea, and vomiting, and the illness “usually leads to coma and death after 5 days,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Other symptoms can include a stiff neck, confusion, lack of attention to people and surroundings, loss of balance, and hallucinations. 

The mortality rate from encephalitis caused by the amoeba is extremely high, and while infection is extremely rare, it is often fatal. The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that most people with PAM die within 1 to 18 days after symptoms start to appear. 

Scientists have not found any effective treatments for PAM yet. Currently, doctors have been managing the disease with a combination of drugs. Only some 400 cases have ever been diagnosed worldwide.

Primary amoebic meningoencephalitis infections, though rare, are fatal and 97% of the patients don’t survive. Image for representation purposes only. File
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The story so far:

A12-year-old boy E.P. Mridul from Feroke in Kozhikode district of Kerala, who had been undergoing treatment for primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) at a private hospital, died on Wednesday night.

Also Read | Unhygienic water, mercury rise may be behind ‘brain-eating amoeba’ cases in Kerala

This is the third death due to the rare and fatal infection in the past two months in the State. V. Dakshina, 13, of Kannur died of the infection at a private hospital in Kozhikode on June 12. Fadva, 5, of Munniyur in Malappuram, died at the Government Medical College Hospital, Kozhikode, on May 20.

What is PAM?

PAM is caused by Naegleria fowleri, an amoeba that thrives in warm freshwater lakes, ponds and rivers. It can also survive in poorly maintained swimming pools in rare cases. Because it can infect the brain and destroy the tissues, this one-celled organism is also called ‘brain-eating amoeba’. These infections, though rare, are fatal and 97% of the patients don’t survive.

How does the amoeba infect people?

The infection happens when people go for a swim in lakes, ponds or rivers, during summer. Experts say that it could occur if the atmospheric temperature is high and the water levels are low. The amoeba enters the body through the nose and reaches up to the brain. It destroys brain tissues and causes their swelling. In recent cases, children are found more vulnerable to it.

What are the symptoms of PAM?

According to the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) in the United States, headache, fever, nausea, and vomiting are its early symptoms. The progress can happen rapidly. Stiff neck, confusion, lack of attention to people and surroundings, loss of balance, and hallucinations are the later symptoms. Most people die within one to 18 days. It usually leads to coma and death after five days, says the CDC.

How is it diagnosed and what are the treatment methods available?

The infection can be diagnosed through lab tests. However since it is a rare infection, the detection can sometimes be hard. In Kozhikode, the doctors at the Government Medical College Hospital suspected its possibility in the five-year-old girl from Malappuram after she exhibited symptoms similar to that of bacterial meningitis. There are no standard treatment methods available in the country and the doctors are following the guidelines of the CDC now.

Kozhikode (Kerala):

A 12-year-old boy has been afflicted by amoebic meningoencephalitis, a rare brain infection caused by a free-living amoeba found in contaminated waters, in Kozhikode district of Kerala, according to sources in the private hospital where he is being treated.

This is the third case of a near fatal infection reported from the southern state since May.

The first one was of a five-year-old girl from Malappuram who died on May 21 and the second of a 13-year-old girl from Kannur who died on June 25.

The third case is of a 12-year-old boy from Kozhikode who was admitted in the Baby Memorial Hospital here on Monday.

One of the doctors treating him said that the infection was identified and the treatment commenced on the same day.

“We identified the infection in tests done at our labs and informed the DMO who took preventive measures by closing down access to the pond where the child had bathed,” the doctor said.

The samples were then sent for testing to a lab in Puducherry from where the printed PCR report is awaited officially confirming the infection, he said.

“The disease has a mortality rate of 95-100 per cent. The boy continues to be in critical condition,” the doctor said.

He said that the hospital was able to quickly identify the infection and begin treatment as it was the third case of the disease and the protocols were already in place to deal with it.

According to medical experts, the infection is caused when free-living, non-parasitic amoebae bacteria enter the body through the nose from contaminated water.

The Health Department on Thursday had asked people to exercise caution against amoebic meningoencephalitis.

“Bathing in stagnant water and diving in water should be avoided as much as possible as this disease has been reported in Kerala. Water in theme parks and swimming pools should be properly chlorinated to ensure that it is clean,” it had said.

The disease was earlier reported in coastal Alappuzha district in the state in 2023 and 2017.

The main symptoms of the disease are fever, headache, vomiting, and seizures.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)