The first death occurred in South Korea due to the case of ‘Naegleria fowleri’, called brain-eating amoeba. In a Twitter post by the Korea Agency for Disease Control and Prevention (KDCA), “KDCA confirmed for the first time that a patient with cerebral meningitis who had recently returned from abroad had Negleria Fowler infection”.
VARIOUS SYMPTOMS STARTED TO EXPERIENCE IN THAILAND
It was reported that the patient stayed in Thailand for four months before returning to South Korea on 10 December, and died there on 21 December after showing symptoms such as headache, fever, vomiting, and speech disorder.
WHAT IS A BRAIN EATING AMOE?
Amoebae entering the olfactory canal pass through the nasal mucosa and settle in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and brain via the olfactory nerve (nervus olfactorius). They cause meningitis, a sudden fatal disease called Primary Amoebic Meningoencephalitis (PAM).
SYMPTOMS OF BRAIN Eating Amoeba
Brain-eating amoeba symptoms are similar to bacterial meningitis. Initial symptoms usually begin after 5 days, but may take 1 to 7 days. These; headache, fever, nausea or vomiting may occur. progressive symptoms; stiff neck, confusion, distraction from the environment and people, loss of balance, seizures and hallucinations. About the onset of symptoms, the disease spreads rapidly and usually results in death within 5 days. What causes death; The infection kills the brain tissue and creates edema in the brain.
HOW IS THE BRAIN EATING AMOBE TRANSMITTED?
They cannot reproduce by dividing while they are in flagellated form. However, if they lose their whip, they can split. People bathing in muddy waters, lakes, swimming pools and stagnant waters are mostly transmitted nasally and sometimes by the oral route (by mouth) and transform into amoeba here.
IS THERE A TREATMENT?
It is not known as a treatment for brain-eating amoeba. There are several drugs that are effective on Naegleria fowleri under laboratory conditions. However, the results are not entirely clear, as most patients die. Recently, 2 people got rid of the infection (in combination with other drugs) thanks to a new drug called miltefosine.