In a tragic turn of events, a young woman residing in the Malir district of Sindh fell victim to Naegleria fowleri, a deadly brain-eating amoeba.
This incident has raised the death toll attributed to the amoeba to 12 in the province. The latest victim, Humaira Bano, 25, was the second female to succumb to Naegleria fowleri this year.
Officials reported that Humaira Bano, a resident of Taiser Town in Malir district, had been admitted to a private hospital just one day before her unfortunate demise. Dr. Zafar Ijaz, Director of Health for Karachi division, stated that water samples from the area where she resided have been collected and sent for examination.
The source of her exposure to the amoeba remains unclear as she had no history of swimming, which is a common cause of Naegleria fowleri infections.
“We have launched further investigations to find out how she came into contact with the amoeba,” Dr. Ijaz added.
Notably, none of the 12 victims, 11 of whom were from Karachi and one from Hyderabad, had a history of swimming, according to health officials.
These tragic cases of Naegleria infection have affected a wide range of individuals, including a 57-year-old man, the oldest victim, and a nine-month-old baby, the youngest. The first fatality related to Naegleria this year was reported on May 27 in Gulistan-i-Jauhar.
The battle against this lethal amoeba continues to be a significant challenge. Experts emphasize that proper chlorination of water is the only effective method to eliminate Naegleria fowleri from water sources. This amoeba has a terrifying ability to travel through the nasal cavity and directly attack the brain. Symptoms usually appear three to seven days after exposure to contaminated water and may include headaches, slight fever, sore throat, and stuffy nose. The situation underscores the urgent need for water safety measures and public awareness to prevent further cases of Naegleria infection.
