Panic continues following the case of brain-eating amoeba infection: so far over 250 people have gone to the emergency rooms in the north after staying at the beach where the amoeba was found, or swimming in the Sea of Galilee, all of them were released to their homes after suspicion of amoeba infection was ruled out.
The Ministry of Health received many inquiries, and today it emphasized once again that the conditions in which the amoeba thrives are fresh water, at a high temperature of about 35 degrees or more, conditions that may also lead to the growth of other disease agents. Therefore, and in order to take preventative measures, the Ministry of Health requires adding disinfectant chlorine to the water in closed pools.
In light of brain-eating amoeba infection: who is at risk and what is the treatment?
The Ministry of Health adds that on their website there are detailed instructions of the standard for the correct construction and maintenance of water spraying facilities that create aerosols – small drops of water, such as cooling towers, fogging systems, bathing and ornamental fountains, interactive fountains, ornamental waterfalls, stream pools, showers, bathing facilities and water fun.
The guidelines of the Ministry of Health state that an examination should be sought in suspicion of infection only if the symptoms of meningitis appear, including headache with vomiting, blurred vision, fear of light and back pain with or without high fever. The Association of Kinneret Cities emphasized that the amoeba was found in the Hoof HaGai park and not in Kinneret, as I remember the park was closed for bathing.
Meanwhile, the condition of the 10-year-old boy who was infected with a brain-eating amoeba is not improving. He receives five experimental drugs according to the American recommendations, but they still do not lead to an improvement in his condition. The boy contracted an amoeba that entered through his nose while bathing in the Sea of Galilee. An inspection by the Ministry of Health yesterday found that the source of the contamination is in the Hoof Gai water park. The ministry ordered the park to be closed immediately and called on all bathers who feel unwell to go to the emergency room immediately.
The affair began when the boy, a resident of the northern district, 10 years old, healthy and without any underlying diseases, was rushed to the Ziv hospital in Safed after 4 days of illness, when the staff recognized that he had encephalitis. He underwent blood tests and a spinal tap which confirmed that it was indeed an inflammation of the central nervous system. A sample was sent to the laboratories of the Ministry of Health, who confirmed that it was the rare amoeba Nagelaria fowleri (known as the “brain-eating amoeba”).
As I recall, about two weeks ago an Israeli died who was infected by the same amoeba after bathing in the waters of the Kinneret. He also suffered from meningitis, was transferred to treatment in Billinson where the doctors fought for his life but he passed away.
An amoeba is a single-celled creature with a diameter of about a tenth of a millimeter with the ability to change its shape and even cause its structure to fold in order to capture and swallow prey. Amoeba enters the body through the nose and may reach the brain where it causes inflammation of the nervous system. The amoeba Nagelaria fowleri usually lives in fresh water, puddles, or stagnant water sources of various types.
The disease can cause death within a few days after entering the body through the nose directly to the brain and therefore the speed of its effect. There is no specific treatment for amoeba infection, but it is customary to combine several antibiotic and antifungal drugs in combination with steroids to reduce cerebral edema. The mortality rate from encephalitis due to amoeba is very high and may reach 98 percent.
In recent years, one more case of fatal infection from an amoeba has occurred in Israel: in August 2022, a 36-year-old man died of severe encephalitis after being infected with the same amoeba – Nagaleria fowleri. The patient, a resident of the north, who was previously healthy, was diagnosed at Poria Hospital. According to what is known, a puddle of water contaminated with amoebas entered his nose.
Amoeba encephalitis symptoms usually appear within about ten days of infection and include high fever, extreme headaches that worsen even during sleep, nausea and vomiting, neck stiffness, convulsions, loss of consciousness and death. Experts urged anyone who bathed in a fresh water lake and felt one or more of these symptoms to urgently seek medical attention.