Israeli Boy Hospitalized in Serious Condition with Rare Brain-Eating Amoeba

The Ministry of Health announced Sunday morning that a 9-year-old boy is hospitalized in serious condition with encephalitis, sedated and ventilated in the pediatric intensive care unit at Rambam Health Care Campus in Haifa. An initial epidemiological investigation revealed that the boy had swam at Kursi Beach on the Sea of Galilee about a week prior to his hospitalization.

Last night, laboratory tests confirmed the suspicion that the child was suffering from an infection caused by the rare amoeba Naegleria Fowleri, commonly referred to as the "brain-eating amoeba."

A Rare and Deadly Pathogen

This is an extremely rare disease with a very high mortality rate. Fewer than 500 cases have been reported worldwide, including two diagnosed in the United States over the past year. In Israel, only a handful of cases have been recorded in recent years.

Naegleria Fowleri is a microscopic amoeba found mainly in warm freshwater sources. In highly exceptional cases, it can cause a devastating infection of the central nervous system. Infection occurs when water containing the amoeba enters the body through the nose, allowing the organism to travel to the brain. The disease cannot be contracted by drinking water and does not spread from person to person.

Health Ministry Safety Guidelines

To minimize the risk of infection when swimming in warm freshwater, the Ministry of Health recommends the following precautions:

• Avoid water entering the nose as much as possible, especially when jumping, diving, or submerging the head.

• Pinch the nose closed or use nose clips.

• Avoid digging up or stirring up sediment in shallow waters, where the amoeba may be present in higher concentrations.

In July 2024, a similar case was reported when a 10-year-old boy was hospitalized under sedation and ventilation at Ziv Medical Center in Safed after contracting the same amoeba.