A nine-year-old boy has died from primary amebic meningoencephalitis, a rare and almost always fatal brain infection caused by the Naegleria fowleri amoeba, Israel’s Health Ministry said on Thursday.
Baruch Neriah had been hospitalized in critical condition at Rambam Health Care Campus in Haifa after becoming infected with the amoeba in early September.
An initial epidemiological investigation found that the boy had been swimming at Kursi Beach on the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee about a week before he was hospitalized.
Naegleria fowleri is found mainly in warm, freshwater environments, including lakes, rivers, hot springs and inadequately maintained or chlorinated swimming pools. Infection can occur when contaminated water enters the nose, allowing the amoeba to travel to the brain. It is not contracted by drinking contaminated water and cannot be transmitted from person to person.
The Health Ministry said fewer than 500 cases have been reported worldwide. Israel has recorded three cases in recent years, including two associated with a water park in 2024.
The Health Ministry advised people swimming in warm freshwater to avoid getting water into their noses, particularly when diving or jumping into the water, and to avoid stirring up sediment in shallow areas.
The ministry said people who develop fever, severe headache, nausea, vomiting, neck stiffness, confusion or unusual drowsiness after freshwater exposure should seek urgent medical attention.
