Brain-eating amoeba claims ninth life in Karachi this year

ISLAMABAD – A resident of Karachi died on Saturday from the Naegleria fowleri infection, making it the ninth casualty of the disease this year, a health official confirmed on Monday. 

Popularly known as “brain-eating amoeba”, Naegleria fowleri is found in freshwater habitats — lakes, ponds, rivers, hot springs — and poorly managed swimming pools and pipes connected to tap water. 

The microorganism can enter the human body through the nose and cause a sudden infection of the brain called naegleriasis. In most cases, the infection is fatal.

Adnan Tariq, a 45-year-old shopkeeper who was a resident of the city’s North Karachi Sector 11-A area, suffered from fever on Wednesday night, a preliminary report by the Directorate-General Health Services Sindh said. His fever subsided slightly on Thursday morning but after suffering from muscle weakness and an “altered state of consciousness,” the patient visited a private hospital later that evening.

The hospital recommended he seek treatment at Agha Khan Hospital. Tariq was admitted to the intensive care unit in Agha Khan Hospital on Thursday and stayed there till Friday. On Saturday, he passed away after his health deteriorated. 

“After the latest death from Naegleria the other day, the total deaths from the infection this year have reached nine,” said Shabbir Ali Babar, spokesperson for the Sindh Health Department.

The report found no history of Tariq swimming recently or visiting any farm house where he could have contracted the disease from unclean water. It stated that the deceased used water supplied to his home from a main pump and also occasionally used water bought from tankers.

However, the patient offered prayers at different mosques around the city, the report added.

“On the basis of findings and observations it is concluded that, most likely the patient got infested with water while performing ablution at workplace,” it said.

The report urged authorities to assess the chlorination process and chlorine level in all major reservoirs that supply water to the city.

It called on authorities to check pipelines for leakages and rectify them at the earliest to avoid contamination with sewage water and to sensitize people to treat their water tanks with bleaching powder regularly.

On May 29, a 19-year-old laborer in Karachi passed away from Naegleria fowleri after complaining of fever, vomiting and headache.

The brain-eating amoeba is a relatively new problem in Pakistan, where the first case was recorded in Karachi in 2008. The infection has since killed over 100 people in the city, including at least 47 in the past six years, according to data from the Sindh health department’s Naegleria monitoring and inspection team.