A 36-year-old woman in Karachi has died after contracting Naegleria fowleri, commonly known as the brain-eating amoeba, marking Pakistan’s first fatality from this organism in 2025.
Naegleria fowleri is a rare but deadly amoeba found in warm freshwater. It infects individuals when contaminated water enters the body through the nose, leading to primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), a brain infection with a fatality rate exceeding 98%. Symptoms include severe headache, fever, nausea, and vomiting, typically resulting in death within five to seven days.
Since 2008, over 100 people in Pakistan have succumbed to this infection, with five fatalities reported last year. In this recent case, the woman was hospitalized on February 19 after experiencing symptoms and passed away on February 23. Health officials noted she had no known water-related activities, suggesting she may have contracted the amoeba during routine ablation practices at home.
A 2021 study by the Sindh Health Department revealed that 95% of water samples in Karachi were unfit for human consumption, highlighting a potential link to the spread of such infections.
