By Pesach Benson • September 6, 2026
Jerusalem, 6 September, 2026 (TPS-IL) — A 9-year-old boy is in critical condition with encephalitis after being infected with a rare amoeba, Israel’s Health Ministry said Sunday.
The boy is sedated and on a ventilator in the intensive care unit at Rambam Hospital in Haifa. Laboratory tests confirmed that he was infected with Naegleria fowleri, a microscopic amoeba that can cause a severe infection of the central nervous system.
An initial epidemiological investigation found that the boy had been swimming at Kursi Beach on the Sea of Galilee about a week before he was hospitalized.
N. fowleri is found mainly in warm, freshwater environments. Infection can occur when contaminated water enters the nose, allowing the amoeba to reach the brain. It is not contracted by drinking contaminated water and cannot be transmitted from person to person.
The Health Ministry said fewer than 500 cases have been reported worldwide. Israel has recorded three cases in recent years, including two linked to a water park in 2024.
N. fowleri thrives in warm freshwater environments such as lakes, rivers, hot springs and poorly maintained or inadequately chlorinated swimming pools. While infection is extremely rare, it is almost always fatal.
The Health Ministry advised people swimming in warm, fresh water to avoid getting water into their noses, particularly when diving or jumping into the water, and to avoid stirring up sediment in shallow areas.
The ministry said people who develop fever, severe headache, nausea, vomiting, neck stiffness, confusion or unusual drowsiness after freshwater exposure should seek urgent medical attention.
or unusual drowsiness following freshwater exposure require urgent medical attention, the ministry said.
