At least three residents of Karachi have died from Naegleria fowleri, a brain-eating amoeba, in the first two weeks of July, according to a spokesperson for the Sindh health department. Two of these deaths occurred this week.
Naegleria fowleri is found in freshwater sources like lakes, ponds, rivers, hot springs, poorly managed swimming pools, and pipes connected to tap water. The micro-organism enters the human body through the nose, causing a sudden and often fatal brain infection called naegleriasis.
This issue is relatively new in Pakistan, with the first case reported in Karachi in 2008. Since then, over a hundred people have died from the infection, with all three cases in Karachi this year occurring in July.
“The latest deaths occurred on Thursday,” said Ali Nawaz Channa, spokesperson for the Sindh health department. “A 35-year-old died in Aga Khan Hospital, while a 22-year-old garment factory worker died in Jinnah Hospital.”
According to a health department report, the family of the 22-year-old stated that he had visited a nearby swimming pool with friends last Sunday. He developed a fever on Monday and was admitted to the hospital on Wednesday. His condition worsened on Thursday, and despite being put on ventilator support, he did not survive.
The other patient was admitted to Aga Khan Hospital and died after a “ten-day battle with a high-grade fever,” the report added. The family suspects the infection was contracted while performing ablution at a nearby mosque.
Prior to these cases, another patient from the Qur’angi area of Karachi died last Friday, according to the health department.
A 2021 study conducted by the Sindh health department in 50 Union Councils of Karachi found that 95 percent of the water samples were completely unfit for human consumption. Experts believe this is a major reason behind the spread of the brain-eating amoeba.
Primary amebic meningoencephalitis, the brain infection caused by the amoeba, has symptoms including extreme headache, changes in taste, high fever, sensitivity to light, nausea, and vomiting. Symptoms appear within 24 hours of infection, but due to their similarity to meningitis, the infection is rarely diagnosed early enough through a blood test.
Medical experts warn that late treatment is often ineffective.
