Karachi has reported its first death from Naegleria fowleri this year, as a 36-year-old woman succumbed to the infection last month, health officials confirmed on Monday.
According to Meeran Yousuf, media coordinator to the Sindh Health Minister, the deceased was a resident of Gulshan-e-Iqbal and passed away at a private hospital on February 23. She began experiencing symptoms on February 18 and was admitted to the hospital the following day. The presence of Naegleria fowleri was confirmed on February 24, a day after her passing.
Investigations revealed that the woman had not engaged in any water-related activities. Her only known exposure was through regular ablution (wuzu) at home, performed five times a day.
“This marks the first Naegleria fowleri-related death in 2025,” Yousuf stated.
Commonly referred to as the “brain-eating amoeba,” Naegleria fowleri causes Primary Amoebic Meningoencephalitis (PAM), a rare but nearly always fatal infection with a 98% mortality rate.
Naegleria is a free-living amoeba commonly found in warm freshwater environments such as lakes, rivers, hot springs, and soil. Of its various species, only Naegleria fowleri is known to infect humans.
Infection occurs when contaminated water enters the body through the nose, typically during swimming, diving, or submerging the head in freshwater. Once inside, the amoeba travels to the brain, destroying brain tissue and leading to PAM.
Symptoms usually appear within five days of exposure and initially include headache, fever, nausea, and vomiting. As the disease progresses, symptoms can escalate to a stiff neck, confusion, seizures, hallucinations, and coma. Death typically occurs within five days of symptom onset.
Naegleria fowleri cannot survive in cool, clean, and chlorinated water, reducing the risk in properly maintained water sources.
