Death toll rises to six as N fowleri claims another life

Karachi
Naegleria fowleri, the dreaded “brain-eating” amoeba, claimed another life in Karachi on Saturday, taking the toll of deaths caused by the microbe to six in the city this year.
A health official said 22-year old Moallim, a resident of MPR Colony in Orangi Town, was taken to a private hospital near house and then admitted to the Civil hospital on Friday.
“The young man was admitted to the hospital suffering from headache and high fever,” Karachi health director Dr Zafar Aijaz told The News. “He passed away on Saturday. Tests show that he died of primary amoebic meningoencephalitis, the infection caused by Naegleria fowleri”
The provincial government had recently formed a six-member committee comprising health, Karachi Municipal Corporation and Karachi Water and Sewerage Board officials to tackle the threat of Naegleria fowleri and ensure that the water being supplied to the citizens was properly chlorinated, but so far the body has been unable to achieve the task.
Of the 150 water samples collected from different areas of the city, 73 were found without any traces of chlorine
Naegleria fowleri, a freshwater amoeba, enters the brain via the nasal cavity when a person ingests water through their nose while bathing, swimming or performing ablution.
On Tuesday, 16-year-old Sufyan Ahmed, a resident of Hub, was brought to the Civil hospital suffering from high fever and diagnosed with primary amoebic meningoencephalitis. He was later admitted to the Jinnah hospital where he passed away.