The victim was identified as Aurangzeb. (Representative)
Islamabad:
In a rare event, a 22-year-old man died of primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) in Karachi, Pakistan, taking the number of victims to three this year, ARY News reported.
Specifically, PAM is a central nervous system disease caused by Naegleria fowleri, commonly referred to as ‘brain-eating’ amoeba.
The victim was identified as Aurangzeb. He contracted the disease after a picnic with his friends at a farm in Quaidabad on July 7, where the group had also gone swimming. The next day, Aurangzeb began showing symptoms, including nausea and fever.
He was admitted to hospital on July 10 and the virus was confirmed on July 11. A resident of Cattle Colony, Aurangzeb, was treated at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center (JPMC), according to ARY News.
The youths had gone for a picnic with friends at a farm in Quaidabad on July 7, where they swam in the pool. Aurangzeb started showing symptoms on July 8, including fever, headache and nausea. He was admitted to hospital on July 10 and the virus was confirmed on July 11.
22-year-old Aurangzeb was the third victim of the deadly infection in the city this year, while the other two cases were reported earlier in Korangi and Malir, ARY News reported.
The infection has also previously claimed the lives of people in different regions of Pakistan. Last year, at least ten people died from Naegleria fowleri. The infection proves to be fatal in 98 percent of cases.
Naegleria, a free-living amoeba, is commonly found in warm, fresh water (lakes, rivers and hot springs) and in soil.
Only one species, Naegleria fowleri, infects humans.
It infects humans when water containing the amoeba enters the body through the nose. This often occurs when people swim, dive, or submerge their heads in fresh water, such as lakes and rivers. The amoeba then travels through the nose to the brain, where it damages brain tissue and causes PAM, according to ARY News.
After symptoms begin, the disease progresses rapidly and usually leads to death within five days. The germ cannot survive in cool, clean and chlorinated water.
The first symptoms of PAM often appear about five days after infection and may include headache, fever, nausea, or vomiting. Later symptoms may include a stiff neck, confusion, loss of attention to people and surroundings, seizures, hallucinations and coma.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)