Israeli boy hospitalized with brain-eating ameba after lake swim
A nine-year-old boy in Israel was hospitalized with severe brain inflammation caused by the rare Naegleria fowleri ameba after swimming in the Kinneret Lake, and remains in critical condition on a ventilator.
Consensus
- A nine-year-old boy in Israel was infected with Naegleria fowleri ameba.
- The infection was linked to swimming in Kinneret Lake (also known as the Sea of Galilee or Tiberias Lake).
- The boy was hospitalized in critical condition and is on a ventilator in intensive care.
- The ameba enters the body through the nose and travels to the brain.
- The disease is extremely rare and has a mortality rate exceeding 97%.
- The infection occurred approximately one week before hospitalization.
- The Ministry of Health of Israel confirmed the diagnosis and conducted an epidemiological investigation.
Points of divergence
- This is the third case of Naegleria fowleri infection in Israel in recent years, and two cases were reported in the US in 2025. — riamo
- This is the fourth case of the disease diagnosed in Israel since 2022. — vm
- The lake is referred to as Tiberias Lake, Sea of Galilee, or Lake Kinneret. — riamo
- The boy swam at the Kursi beach on Lake Kinneret. — vm
- There have been fewer than 500 cases of this disease worldwide. — riamo
- A girl died in the US from the same ameba on August 24. — vm
Coverage (2 sources)
- Child infected with brain-eating amoeba after swimming in lake in Israel — РИАМО
- Boy infected with brain-eating amoeba after swimming in lake in Israel — Вечерняя Москва