A brain-eating amoeba has killed a Florida-based man. As per reports, the amoeba entered the man via his nose during a sinus rinsing practice using tap water
Florida Department of Health officials has earlier issued a warning about the brain-eating amoeba, Naegleria Fowleri that causes a rare but fatal condition known as primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) as the microorganism destroys the brain tissue
Florida Department of Health tweeted, “Infection with Naegleria Fowleri is EXTREMELY RARE and can only happen when water contaminated with amoebae enters the body through the nose. You CANNOT be infected by drinking tap water.”
In case of an attack by the brain-eating amoeba, the person is likely to experience symptoms like headache, fever, vomiting, slurred speech and stiffness of the neck
The treatment for brain-eating amoeba involves a combination of drugs but there is no long-lasting treatment available so far. "Currently, PAM is treated with a combination of drugs,” according to the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention
In a similar incident, a South Korean man was killed by brain-eating amoeba in December 2022. He was admitted to the hospital a day after he showed some symptoms but could not be saved
The infection due to a brain-eating amoeba is extremely fatal. About 97% who contracted it died within days. Only four patients out of 154 survived the infection in the US between 1962 and 2021
Currently, there are no specific vaccines for the brain-eating amoeba. Common treatments include drugs such as Amphotericin B, Azithromycin, Fluconazole, Rifampin, Miltefosine and Dexamethasone