21-Year-Old Dies from Brain-Eating Amoeba in Karachi!
by Omama Anwar
SHARES
A young man infected with Naegleria fowleri, commonly known as the brain-eating amoeba, passed away at a hospital in Clifton, Karachi.
Currently, another patient infected with the same amoeba is receiving treatment. Both individuals were admitted to private hospitals over two weeks ago.
The victim, a 21-year-old, was admitted to the hospital on June 18 with complaints of high fever and headache. Despite being placed on a ventilator for several days in the hopes of his recovery, he succumbed to the infection on July 6.
The ‘brain-eating amoeba’ Naegleria fowleri has claimed the life of a young man in Karachi. Salman Ahmed, a 21-year-old resident of DHA, was admitted to a private hospital on 18 June after developing a fever.
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Finally, on Thursday, his family made the difficult decision to remove him from the mechanical life support system.
Dr. Abdul Hameed Jumani, the director of health services in Karachi, revealed: “This is the fifth death caused by Naegleria in Karachi. The deceased was a resident of the DHA area and had reportedly swum in a local swimming pool.”
He added: “Another Naegleria patient, a 22-year-old employee of the Pakistan Air Force from Jamshoro, is currently undergoing treatment at PNS Shifa Hospital.”
In recent months, the health department confirmed three deaths from Naegleria within a short span of one week in the city. Surprisingly, none of the three victims had a history of swimming, suggesting that the infection may have occurred due to contaminated or non-chlorinated tap water.
The Pakistan Medical Association has issued a statement urging the public to take preventive measures against this fatal infection.
They emphasize the importance of preventing water from entering the nose and advise drinking boiled water, avoiding contaminated water for facial cleansing or bathing, and refraining from swimming in non-chlorinated pools.
Furthermore, they recommend adding chlorine tablets to underground water tanks (one tablet per 1,000 gallons of water) and conducting annual cleaning of water tanks at homes, hospitals, schools, shopping malls, and offices.
