In Israel, nine-year-old boy dies after swimming in the Kinneret — Jerusalem Post

In Israel, a nine-year-old boy has died after being diagnosed with encephalitis caused by Naegleria fowleri, an amoeba known as the “brain-eating amoeba.” This was reported by the Jerusalem Post, citing Israel’s Ministry of Health.

The boy swam at Kursi Beach

According to Israel’s Health Ministry, the child was hospitalized with brain swelling. The boy was placed under medically induced sedation and connected to a ventilator in the intensive care unit at Rambam Medical Center.

Laboratory testing of a sample sent to the Health Ministry’s laboratory confirmed that Naegleria fowleri was the cause. The investigation established that about a week before hospitalization, the boy had swum at Kursi Beach on Lake Kinneret, also known as the Sea of Galilee.

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How the infection is transmitted

The microscopic amoeba occurs in warm freshwater bodies. It can cause an infection of the central nervous system if water containing the amoeba enters the nose and the pathogen reaches the brain. The ministry stressed that the infection is extremely rare, although it has a high mortality rate. It cannot be contracted by drinking water or from another person.

Fewer than 500 such cases have been recorded worldwide. In Israel, three cases of infection have been diagnosed in recent years. The Health Ministry recommends avoiding getting water in the nose when swimming in warm freshwater, including while jumping and diving, and also avoiding stirring up the bottom in shallow water. Competitive swimming events have been postponed until the water temperature drops below 24 degrees, when the amoeba’s reproduction slows significantly.