Infections weren’t as fearful as they are now before 2020. Coronavirus has brought the grim reality of spreading diseases in front of the world. However, coronavirus is curable. What if you catch an infection that is still under research and has no cure? Could anything be worse than that? Naegleria is one of such infections. It attacks the human brain and destroys the nervous system. Naegleria cases in Karachi are continuously increasing. Why this kills humans? Why is there no treatment for it? Read and find the answers!
Yesterday, a neurosurgeon lost his battle of life and became a victim of Naegleria. The 30-year old was on a ventilator but couldn’t make it to life. In 2021, this was the most recent out of four Naegleria cases in the city of Karachi. The other cases were seen in May and June. The first-ever case of Naegleria infection in Pakistan was observed in 2008 in a 25 years old male.
What is Naegleria Fowleri
Naegleria Fowleri is also called as the brain-eating amoeba. It is a unicellular eukaryotic micro-organism that can eat up the whole human brain. It is usually found in warm water bodies, freshwater lakes, and hot springs. The fatal brain infection usually enters the body via the nasal passage.
How Naegleria Fowleri enters the body?
Normally, people who are fond of swimming are affected by the infection. This is because of the presence of bacteria in the water bodies. However, the fact is it can never happen to a person via the mouth. Instead, it enters the nasal passage through the nostrils. Gradually it reaches the brain. In the brain, it causes an infection called primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM).
In the 1960s, primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) was first discovered in South Australia. Youngsters and even infants are prone to infection. The preferable growth temperature of this amoeba is 25-40 degrees Celsius. In contrast, it is not present in seawater.
Naegleria Fowleri symptoms
However, the major problem is its symptoms. It primarily shows very common influenza-like symptoms. Naegleria Fowleri symptoms include:
- Stiffed head and neck
- High fever
- Continuous seizures
- Nausea
- Dizziness
- Vomiting
- Sleepy head
- Hallucinations in a perplexed state
- Sore throat
The above Naegleria Fowleri symptoms are so common in almost every other disease. This creates major confusion because every disease usually starts with fever. So, the patient considers it a normal cold. However, when the headache becomes worse, then upon proper check-up, the infection is exposed.
One can only survive this deadly bacterial disease if identified earlier. Therefore, if you feel any of the above-mentioned symptoms, make sure you ultimately see a doctor. If delayed, this becomes fatal for sure.
How to prevent Naegleria cases in Karachi
Chlorine- the best way to prevent this infection is chlorination. Proper usage of chlorine kills the microorganism. It should be added to the water tanks and in the swimming pools also. On the contrary, if chlorine is unable to reach the infectious colonies, then chloramination can do wonders.
- During summer seasons avoid swimming in pools
- If you are found of swimming, then make sure you empty the water on daily basis. Refill the pool with fresh water and must chlorinate it.
- Flush out the stagnant water
- During ablution (wudu), use bolied water for cleaning the nostrils.
- Lastly, avoid use of potentially contaminated water for any type of nasal irrigation.
How to tackle Naegleria cases in Karachi?
Every disease requires precautionary measures. You might have heard, “Prevention is better than cure.” Well, I ask you, what if the cure isn’t available. If we implement the above-mentioned preventive measures, we can surely decrease the Naegleria cases in Karachi. Then only two choices are left either to take precautions or choose death.
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