Health authorities have confirmed Karachi’s first case of Naegleria fowleri infection of the year after a 44-year-old man was diagnosed with the rare but highly fatal brain-eating amoeba.
The patient is currently admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and is on ventilator support, according to information shared by health officials. His condition is reported to be critical as doctors continue to provide intensive treatment.
Family members said that the prolonged stay in a private hospital has placed an overwhelming financial burden on them. Owing to mounting medical expenses, they are now trying to shift the patient to a public-sector hospital where treatment costs are significantly lower.
Naegleria Fowleri is a microscopic amoeba commonly found in warm freshwater, including lakes, rivers, canals and inadequately chlorinated water. Infection occurs when contaminated water enters the body through the nose, allowing the organism to travel to the brain, where it causes primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), a rare but almost always fatal disease. The infection cannot spread from person to person and is not contracted by drinking contaminated water.
Early symptoms include severe headache, fever, nausea and vomiting, followed by a stiff neck, confusion, seizures and loss of consciousness as the disease progresses. Because symptoms develop rapidly and the infection is extremely aggressive, early diagnosis and immediate medical intervention are critical, although survival remains rare.
