KARACHI: A teenage boy died from Naegleria fowleri, commonly known as brain-eating amoeba, at a local hospital on Monday, health officials said.

He was the fourth victim of the deadly infection this year.

They said that the 19-year-old male, a resident of Karachi’s district East, had started experiencing symptoms on August 18. He was admitted to a private hospital on Aug 21 and the presence of Naegleria fowleri was confirmed in the patient on Aug 25.

“Upon investigation it was noted that the patient had not participated in any water related activities. His only exposure was regular use of water to perform ablution five times a day at home and occasionally at a nearby mosque,” said a health department statement.

In 2023, 10 people died of Naegleria fowleri that’s responsible for the disease called Primary Amoebic Meningoencephalitis (PAM). The infection is fatal in 98 per cent of the cases.

Since 2012, according to health department officials, over 100 cases of Naegleria fowleri have been reported in Karachi. Of them, only one patient survived for three months. In another case reported in 2023, the patient recovered well.

A free-living amoeba, Naegleria, is commonly found in warm fresh water (such as lakes, rivers, and hot springs) and soil. Only its one species, Naegleria fowleri, infects people when water containing the amoeba enters the body through the nose. This typically happens when people go swimming, diving, or when they put their heads under fresh water, like in lakes and rivers.

Published in Dawn, September 3rd, 2024