Sindh’s Fifth Fatality from Brain-Eating Amoeba

A tragic development reported by Dawn highlights the death of a Karachi man due to Naegleria fowleri, the brain-eating amoeba, marking Sindh’s fifth fatality in 2025. The victim, a 25-year-old resident of Korangi, succumbed at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre after being admitted with symptoms of primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM)—a rare but deadly brain infection.

• Cause: Naegleria fowleri enters through the nose, typically via contaminated water.
• Symptoms: Fever, headache, vomiting, and altered mental status.
• Fatality Rate: Nearly 100% once symptoms appear.
• Water Quality Concerns: Experts warn that chlorination levels in Karachi’s water supply remain dangerously low, enabling the amoeba’s survival.
• Health officials urge boiling or chlorinating water, especially for ablution and nasal rinsing.
• Calls for urgent upgrades to municipal water treatment and public awareness campaigns are growing louder.