Man admitted to CHK with Naegleria-like symptoms

Karachi
Another suspected case of Naegleria fowleri, the brain-eating infection, surfaced in Karachi on Monday.
“A male patient was admitted to the Civil Hospital Karachi with symptoms similar to Naegleria fowleri infection,” director health Karachi, Dr Zafar Aijaz said while talking to The News.
“A sample of his Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) was sent to the laboratory of a private hospital’s pathology lab for confirmation and the results are expected to arrive today.”
At least 12 people have died so far this year in Karachi due to Primary Amoebic Encephalitis (PAM) caused by the deadly amoeba alone, while two more deaths have also been reported from other districts of Sindh.
Dr Aijaz said the infection caused by the Naegleria fowleri was fatal and hardly any patient survived once he or she was infected with the deadly microorganism found in fresh water. The amoeba enters the brain of humans when they swim or ingest contaminated and non-chlorinated water via their nasal cavities. Once inside the brain, it badly affects the central nervous system of the victim, causing death of the patient within days of infection.
Chlorination of water is the only viable method to prevent Naegleria fowleri infections. But unfortunately most of the water samples tested by a committee to monitor the presence of chlorine in tap water indicated the KWSB was not putting enough chlorine in the water being supplied to the city. “When we point out to the KWSB that chlorination is not being done by them at their pumping stations, they argue that chlorine evaporates from the leaking and rusty water lines before it reaches households,” Dr Aijaz said.