Brain-eating amoeba' kills 8 in Karachi
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A waterborne parasite commonly known as "brain-eating amoeba" has killed eight people in Pakistan, reported the 24NewsHD TV channel on Sunday.
The latest victim of the amoeba — Naegleria fowleri is Adnan Tariq, 45, a resident of New Karachi. He has been under treatment in a private hospital since October 18 after being infected with suspected Naegleria fowleri.
Eight people have lost their lives in Karachi this year, five belong to Karachi, one each to Hyderabad, Mirpur Khas, and Quetta.
The amoeba is a ‘brain-eating bacteria’ that is typically found in warm bodies of water, such as ponds, lakes, rivers, and hot springs.
The single-celled, microscopic organism that causes naegleria is primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) – a rare infection of the brain that often leads to death.
Symptoms are meningitis-like and include headache, fever, nausea, vomiting and seizures. Naegleria fowleri lives in warm, unclean water. It can infect the human nervous system, though this occurs rarely.
According to health experts, it cannot grow if the water contains the required amount of chlorine. It enters the human body through the nose and infects the human brain.
Nigelria fowleri is still an incurable disease.