A nine-year-old child is in serious condition at the Rambam Hospital in Haifa with inflammation of the brain. He is admitted to the intensive care unit and connected to a ventilator.
The Ministry of Health said laboratory tests confirmed infection with the rare amoeba Naegleria fowleri. A preliminary epidemiological investigation showed that approximately a week before hospitalization, the child was swimming at Kursi Beach on Lake Kinneret.
Naegleria fowleri lives primarily in warm, fresh water and, in extremely rare cases, can cause severe damage to the central nervous system. Infection occurs when water containing the amoeba enters the nose, from where the organism can travel to the brain. The infection is not transmitted through drinking water or from person to person.
According to the Ministry of Health, fewer than 500 such cases have been registered in the world, and three have been diagnosed in Israel in recent years. The disease develops quickly and is characterized by high mortality.
The Ministry of Health recommends that when swimming in warm fresh water, avoid getting water into your nose if possible, especially when diving and jumping into the water. After such a swim, the appearance of high fever, severe headache, nausea, vomiting, and later neck stiffness, confusion or unusual drowsiness requires urgent medical attention.