First death from ‘brain-eating amoeba’ in South Korea

In South Korea, it was announced that the first death case was recorded due to “Naegleria fowleri”, which lives in stagnant waters such as muddy water, lakes and swimming pools, also known as “brain-eating amoeba”, and enters the human brain through the nose.

“It is the first time that a Negleria fowler infection has been confirmed in a patient with cerebral meningitis who has recently returned from abroad,” the Korea Agency for Disease Control and Prevention (KDCA) said in a statement. It was learned that the patient, who returned to South Korea on December 10 and died on December 21, had been in Thailand for 4 months before showing symptoms such as headache, fever, vomiting, and speech disorder.

BRAIN eater AMIP HOW IS IT TRANSMITTED?

Also known as the “brain-eating amoeba,” Naegleria fowleri infects stagnant waters such as muddy water, lakes and swimming pools. Naegleria fowleri, which causes meningitis called Primary Amoebic Meningoencephalitis (PAM), manifests itself with symptoms such as rhinitis, high fever, nausea, headache and eye pain. In most cases, confusion, coma, and death occur within a short time. Since Naegleria fowleri is a heat-loving amoeba, it is known that an increase in cases is expected due to global warming.