A nine-year-old boy from Pardes Hanna-Karkur died on Thursday at Rambam Medical Center in northern Israel after contracting a rare brain infection caused by the amoeba Naegleria fowleri. Baruch Neria had been hospitalized for about two weeks in serious condition, under sedation and on a ventilator. An epidemiological investigation by Israel’s Health Ministry determined that he had swum at Kursi Beach on Lake Kinneret roughly a week before his hospitalization.

Naegleria fowleri is a microscopic amoeba typically found in warm freshwater environments. While infections are extremely rare, the amoeba can cause a deadly central nervous system infection known as primary amoebic meningoencephalitis, which has a reported fatality rate of approximately 97 percent. The parasite infects individuals when contaminated water enters the nose, allowing it to reach the brain; it is not transmitted through drinking water or person-to-person contact.

According to the Health Ministry, around 500 cases of Naegleria fowleri infection have been documented worldwide. In Israel, three cases have been reported in recent years. In July 2024, a 26-year-old man died and a 10-year-old boy was left in a vegetative state after exposure at a water park near the Kinneret. In 2022, another individual from northern Israel died following infection contracted at a freshwater reservoir.

Globally, most reported infections occur in the United States, although the disease remains rare even there. Between 2012 and 2021, 31 cases were recorded, alongside 151 infections between 1962 and 2020, with only four survivors among them. Recently, a teenager in North Carolina and an eight-year-old girl in Louisiana died after contracting the amoeba.

Experts warn that climate change may contribute to a rise in infections, as warming temperatures enable the amoeba to survive in regions where it was previously uncommon. For example, a recent case was reported in Minnesota, a typically cooler state. Additionally, lower water levels in reservoirs due to increased heat may concentrate the amoeba and heighten infection risks.

The Health Ministry advises swimmers in warm freshwater to minimize the risk of infection by preventing water from entering their noses. This includes avoiding jumping, diving, or submerging the head, as well as using nose clips or holding the nostrils closed. People are also cautioned to avoid stirring up sediment in shallow areas where the amoeba may be more concentrated.