A news from South Korea the other day caused an indignation around the world. South Korea announced the death of the first ‘brain-eating amoeba’ in its history. But the news, some ‘click bait’ was perceived as a world first and it scared many people.
So what was the real deal? How do brain-eating amoeba cases occur? The answers to these questions were given by Virologist Semih Tareen as the news spread on social media.
What does the news from South Korea say?
- The three stages in the life cycle of Naegleria fowleri – cyst, trophozoite and flagellate form.
According to the information reported by the Korea Times, the brain-eating amoeba case was a first for South Korea. The person who died due to the infection was a 50-year-old man. 10 days after the person begins to show symptoms; He died on December 21.
The infection was caused by a species of amoeba ‘Naegleria fowleri’. Brain infection caused by this amoeba species causes 1000 to 2000 cases each year, according to the World Health Organization data. The infection is known to be extremely deadly.
So how does the ‘brain-eating amoeba’ cause death?
The survival rate of brain-eating amoeba cases is very low:
According to data shared by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 154 cases were detected between 1962 and 2021 in the US alone. Only 4 of these cases survived.
So how does the brain-eating amoeba infect humans? How to protect?
Naegleria fowleri is a water-loving amoeba that is frequently found in ponds, lakes and rivers around the world. It can also be stored in pipes connected to tap water.
Therefore, washing the nose with unsafe water can cause infection. Amoeba can get into the brain, especially if water is snorted. Therefore, it is extremely important to do the following before snorting:
- Use boiled and cooled water for 1 minute.
- Use distilled or sterile water.
- Use filters with ‘NSF 53’ or ‘NSF 58’ certification to filter water.
What are the signs of infection?
- Stage 1:
- Severe headache in the front of the head
- Fire
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Stage 2:
- stiff neck
- seizures
- impaired mental state
- hallucinations
- Coma
All information was obtained from the CDC.
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