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🇵🇸 Palestine /Health & Science

Boy in critical condition after contracting rare ‘brain-eating amoeba’ while swimming in Sea of Galilee

From Times of Israel · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • A nine-year-old boy is sedated and intubated in critical condition at Rambam Health Care Campus after contracting Naegleria fowleri, apparently while swimming in the Sea of Galilee.
  • Doctors said the infection causes severe inflammation of the brain and is extremely rare but potentially fatal.
  • The Health Ministry said an initial investigation linked the infection to swimming at Kursi Beach about a week before the boy’s hospitalization.

A nine-year-old boy is in critical condition at a Haifa hospital after apparently contracting a rare “brain-eating” amoeba while swimming in the Sea of Galilee. The Health Ministry said tests confirmed an encephalitis infection caused by Naegleria fowleri, an amoeba that can be fatal.

The boy, identified in Hebrew media as Baruch Neriya of Pardes Hannah, is being treated in the intensive care unit at Rambam Health Care Campus. He is sedated and intubated, while his family has asked people to pray for his recovery. An initial epidemiological investigation found that he had swum at Kursi Beach on the Sea of Galilee about a week before he was hospitalized.

A suspicion arose that it was an amoeba infection.

· Danny EytanThe director of Rambam’s paediatric critical care unit described the suspicion that emerged during the boy’s medical tests.

Dr. Danny Eytan, director of Rambam’s paediatric critical care unit, said the boy arrived at the hospital the previous day. During the examination, “a suspicion arose that it was an amoeba infection,” he told media. Eytan said the boy was in “very serious condition” but added, “we hope for the best.”

We hope for the best.

· Danny EytanEytan described the boy’s condition as very serious while expressing hope for his recovery.

The infection occurs when contaminated warm freshwater enters through the nose, allowing the organism to travel to the brain. Rotem Lapidot, director of infectious diseases at Rambam, said people are exposed to the amoeba and usually do not know it. “In very rare cases it manages to enter the brain and cause a serious infection,” she told Ynet.

Symptoms can include fever, headaches, vomiting, nausea and neurological changes, often affecting consciousness. Lapidot said fever, headaches and changes in consciousness always warrant medical attention. Fewer than 500 cases have been reported worldwide. Israel has recorded three cases in recent years, two of which ended in death, according to Ynet. A 10-year-old boy infected during a family visit to the Sea of Galilee later returned home after months in hospital but remained in serious condition.

In very rare cases it manages to enter the brain and cause a serious infection.

· Rotem LapidotThe Rambam infectious diseases director explained how the amoeba can cause severe illness.
About this summary

Originally published by Times of Israel in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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