"Brain eating amoebas" kill 10 in Pakistan

A close up photograph of Naegleria fowleri, an amoeba that is known to attack the central nervous system. / CDC

ISLAMABAD A waterborne parasite commonly known as "brain-eating amoeba" has killed 10 people in Pakistan's largest city, a Pakistani official with the World Health Organization said Tuesday.

The amoeba — Naegleria fowleri — lives in warm, unclean water. It can infect the human nervous system, though this occurs rarely. In those cases it is difficult to treat and can lead to death in about a week.

Musa Khan, in charge of WHO's Disease Early Warning System in Pakistan, said the deaths were reported in the city of Karachi from March to September.

He said municipal authorities launched a campaign in the area to ensure the supply of clean water to residents. Health officials are carrying out a public awareness campaign to educate and guide people and doctors across Karachi about the disease, he said.

Other parts of Pakistan have also been alerted but so far no cases have been reported elsewhere, Khan said.

"There is no need to panic over these deaths," he stressed. "There is a remote chance for the spread of this deadly disease."

He said people don't usually get the brain-affecting form of the disease by drinking water, but by swimming in dirty water or cleaning their nostrils with contaminated water.

From the nostrils, the parasite travels to the brain where it destroys tissue. Symptoms include fever, nausea, vomiting, stiff neck and headaches.

The disease has killed people in other countries as well.

A U.S. man who was teaching his daughter to swim in a southwestern Indiana lake died in September, within weeks after getting the infection, according to his family.

Waylon Abel, 30, went to a hospital with headache, nausea, vomiting and fever. He was given antibiotics and returned 12 hours later, when he was diagnosed with bacterial meningitis.

In July, a South Carolina boy also died from this rare brain infection, according to U.S. health officials.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 32 infections were reported in the U.S from 2002 to 2011. Only one person has survived out of 123 known U.S. cases from 1962 to 2011.

[EquineLover013]

This is terrible, I feel terrible that I live in America, what a bunch of racist & discriminating people you are! How rude! Everyone just assumes that every person in Pakistan is terrible? How sad... Have none of your read the article on here about the poor girl in Pakistan who was shot by the Taliban??!! She was campaigning to get a better education for their schools, and you racist people think you have the balls to go and say that Pakistan needs a population reduction? Or, they don't need clean water? This disease is in the U.S. too, maybe karma will come around! What a disgrace you people are..... I hope that the victims to this disease recover...Not everyone in Pakistan is a bad person! I hope that the girl who was shot over there recovers well!

[formerlyluvnut]

EmpireGeorge---_______-- replies: linkicon reporticon emailicon what is with you and trying to reduce population ?

Do you consider man nature on earth ?? apparently not.

If a wild beast populated the same rate as Humans, you'd be all for their right to populate......there are trillions of square miles of open space on earth, no shortage of room.

Do you ever put on a documentary ? watch a nature show ? open a book ? to see how the rest of the world lives ?

or is it hating humans, 24/7 ?
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Key word here, George, is "humans", which they are not. They are human WASTE. BIG difference.

[formerlyluvnut]

It's all in the head but, it all helps!