Islamabad: A 44-year-old Karachi resident has died after contracting the brain-eating amoeba Naegleria fowleri, taking the number of reported infections and deaths from the deadly organism in Pakistan to three this year, hospital officials confirmed on Tuesday.
According to officials at Liaquat National Hospital, Muhammad Amjad, a resident of Korangi No. 4, was admitted on July 5 with high fever and deteriorating health. Diagnostic tests later confirmed infection with Naegleria fowleri.
Hospital officials said the patient also suffered a stroke during treatment. As his condition rapidly worsened, he was shifted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and placed on a ventilator on July 6. Despite intensive treatment and efforts to save his life, he died on Tuesday, July 7.
The latest fatality is the third confirmed case of Naegleria fowleri reported in Pakistan this year, and all three patients have died. The first case was reported in February from Gulshan-e-Iqbal, where a 36-year-old woman succumbed to the infection. The second victim, a 23-year-old man from Orangi Town, died after being diagnosed on June 3.
Family members said the deceased had not visited any recreational water site or picnic spot before falling ill. They said he routinely travelled between his home and office and regularly offered prayers at a mosque in his neighbourhood.
Medical experts said Naegleria fowleri is a rare but almost always fatal amoeba that is commonly found in warm freshwater. It enters the human body through the nose, travels to the brain and causes primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), a rapidly progressive and usually fatal infection.
Health experts have advised people to ensure adequate chlorination of household water storage tanks, avoid exposing the nose to untreated water while swimming or bathing and adopt preventive measures, particularly during the summer months.
Meanwhile, the Sindh Health Department has yet to provide the complete exposure history of the deceased patient. Sources said water samples from the affected localities have also not been collected so far, making it impossible to determine the likely source of the infection.