Karachi Records First 2025 Naegleria Fatality Amid Safety Concerns

A 36-year-old Karachi woman has succumbed to Naegleria fowleri, marking the city's first fatality of 2025. Despite no water-related activities, routine ablutions at home were her only water interaction, highlighting risk factors for this fatal brain infection, which thrives in warm, fresh water.

In a grim milestone for Karachi in 2025, the city has reported its first death from the Naegleria fowleri infection. The victim, a 36-year-old woman residing in Gulshan-e-Iqbal, succumbed to the disease on February 23, health officials confirmed, as reported by The Dawn. She initially showed symptoms on February 18 and was hospitalized the next day, but her condition deteriorated, and the presence of the deadly amoeba was confirmed posthumously on February 24.

The woman did not partake in any water-related activities, which commonly pose a threat. Her regular practice at home of performing ablutions (wuzu) five times a day was the only likely exposure to water containing the amoeba, underscoring the lurking threat of Naegleria fowleri even in non-recreational settings. This case serves as a stark reminder of the city's vulnerability to the brain-eating amoeba.

Naegleria fowleri, infamous as a 'brain-eating amoeba,' is responsible for Primary Amoebic Meningoencephalitis (PAM), a condition with a 98% fatality rate. The organism flourishes in warm, fresh bodies of water and infects individuals through the nasal passage, eventually reaching the brain and causing rapid neurological destruction. Symptoms manifest swiftly, including headache, fever, and nausea, and escalate to severe neurological disturbances and death within days, with The Dawn providing detailed insights into the case's progression and infection risks.

(With inputs from agencies.)