A 36-year-old woman from Karachi’s Gulshan-e-Iqbal area died on February 23, 2025, marking the city’s first fatality from Naegleria fowleri this year. She developed symptoms on February 18 and was hospitalized the following day. The infection was confirmed posthumously on February 24. Notably, she had no history of water-related activities; her only exposure was performing ablution (wuzu) at home five times daily.
Naegleria fowleri, often called the “brain-eating amoeba,” causes Primary Amoebic Meningoencephalitis (PAM), which is fatal in 98% of cases. This free-living amoeba thrives in warm freshwater and soil. Infection occurs when contaminated water enters the body through the nose, typically during activities like swimming or diving. The amoeba then travels to the brain, destroying tissue and causing PAM. Early symptoms, appearing about five days post-infection, include headache, fever, nausea, or vomiting, progressing rapidly to stiff neck, confusion, seizures, and coma, often leading to death within five days. The amoeba cannot survive in cool, clean, and chlorinated water.
