Latest news with #healthDepartment
Arab News
2 days ago
- General
- Arab News
Pakistan reports second death of 2025 from deadly brain-eating amoeba
KARACHI: A 23-year-old man died in Pakistan's southern port city of Karachi this week after contracting Naegleria fowleri, the Sindh Health Department said on Wednesday, marking the second death of the year from the deadly brain-eating amoeba. Naegleria fowleri, commonly known as the brain-eating amoeba, has a fatality rate of over 98 percent. It is transmitted when contaminated water enters the body through the nose and cannot be spread from person to person. Pakistan has witnessed a rise in Naegleria fowleri cases in recent years, with more than 100 reported deaths since the first confirmed infection in 2008. Five fatalities were recorded in 2024 alone. In the latest case the deceased, a resident of Karachi's Orangi Town area, was hospitalized on May 30 after suffering from symptoms on May 28. He died on June 3 after the presence of Naegleria fowleri was confirmed in the patient on June 1. 'Upon investigation, it was noted that the patient had not participated in any water-related activities,' the Sindh Health Department said. 'His only exposure was regular use of water at home and use of water at a nearby local mosque to perform ablution.' Symptoms of Naegleria fowleri infection include severe headache, altered sense of taste, high fever, sensitivity to light, nausea and vomiting. Death typically occurs within five to seven days of infection. The health department confirmed this was the second death in Pakistan from Naegleria fowleri in 2025. The first death was reported in March when a 36-year-old woman died from the same disease. She was also a resident of Karachi. A 2021 study by the Sindh Health Department found that 95 percent of water samples in Karachi, Sindh's provincial capital, were unfit for human consumption. Experts say the contamination leads to the spreading of the brain-eating amoeba among the city's residents.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Woman in Texas dies from brain-eating infection after rinsing her nose with TAP WATER
A woman in Texas died from a brain-eating infection she is believed to have contracted from tap water. The unnamed female, aged 71, was killed by the amoeba - a single-celled organism last year. The county health department said that the person likely got infected when they rinsed their sinuses with tap water from an RV's water system at a campground. The Texas Department of State Health Services said tap water in the area is still safe to drink as the amoeba is rare and can only infect humans through the nose. However, experts say that the case 'reinforces the potential for serious health risks associated with improper use of nasal irrigation devices, as well as the importance of maintaining RV water quality and ensuring that municipal water systems adhere to regulatory standards.' The US only suffers a handful of deaths from brain-eating amoeba each year, usually among people swimming in warm water lakes and rivers. The frighteningly lethal amoeba - known as Naegleria fowleri - kills 97 percent of the people it infects. Only a handful of Americans have ever survived the infection. Texas is among the states that have suffered the largest burden of brain-eating amoeba cases, with 39 of around 160 recorded in the US all-time in the Lone Star state. The amoeba causes a disease called primary amoebic meningoencephalitis, also known as PAM or amebic meningitis. It thrives in warm water. Initial symptoms include a headache, vomiting and nausea. A person can then suffer cognitive issues and a stuff neck as things progress. It causes severe swelling, and eventually rotting, of the brain and spinal cord. This will almost always eventually lead to death. There are no known effective treatments for PAM. In the recent Texas case, the woman developed severe neurologic symptoms, including fever, headache, and altered mental status within four days of using a nasal irrigation device filled with the compromised tap water. Despite medical treatment, the patient developed seizures and subsequently died eight days after symptom onset. Laboratory testing at CDC confirmed the presence of N. fowleri in the patient's brain and spinal fluid. Sinus rinsing is a practice where a person flows water into their nose through one nostril and out the other - in an attempt to clean mucus and other debris. Local officials advise residents to boil water for at least one minute before using it to wash their noses to kill any lingering bacteria or harmful chemicals. They also say not to allow water into your nose when showering, bathing, swimming, or in a blow-up pool, not to put your head underwater in the tub, to avoid letting children play with sprinklers while unsupervised and the avoid slip-and-slides. This is not the first recent case potentially tied to water systems. In 2020, a six-year-old boy in Lake Jackson, Texas died from Naegleria fowleri. Officials believe he was either infected while playing in a local splash pad or from a water hose at home. And in 2023, a man in Charlotte County, Florida, died after nasal rinsing with tap water. The amoeba, which is 1,200 times smaller than a dime, enters the body through the olfactory nerve which connects the upper nose to the brain. This gives it a short and direct route into the brain. If water containing the amoeba enters the nose, it will likely lead to infection. Ingesting water through the mouth is ok because stomach acid is strong enough to kill the amoeba. The nose is its only route. Once a person's olfactory nerve is exposed, it can take around one to nine days to start experiencing symptoms. They will usually die within five days of symptoms first appearing. 'It's quite rapid, it's very progressive. It literally eats the brain tissue,' Dr. Anjan Debnath, a parasitologist at the University of California San Diego, explained. Because of the rare infection, doctors also often misdiagnose symptoms as meningitis - wasting valuable time that could be used to treat the parasite. He describes the infection as taking part in two stages. The first is relatively minor, with the person experiencing a headache and other flu-like symptoms. This means that unless a doctor knows that a person has been swimming in untreated water they may not even suspect the amoeba. Once symptoms reach the second stage, a person will start experiencing severe neurological issues like seizures. A doctor will then likely find out about the infection through a spinal fluid test. America suffers around three cases of the amoeba each year. They will almost always occur over summer, when many families flock to local lakes and ponds for a daytime outing. Dr Debnath still advises against swimming in untreated water over summer, especially in places like Florida and Texas where temperatures get exceptionally high. Because the amoeba only resides in fresh water, swimming in the ocean is generally safe. If families do choose to visit a freshwater beach, anyone entering the water should wear a nose clip to prevent water from entering their nose. Dr Debnath also recommends against kicking up dirt or sand from the bottom of the lake as warmer areas deep down are where the microscopic beings usually lie.
Free Malaysia Today
25-05-2025
- Health
- Free Malaysia Today
Sarawak reports first human rabies case for the year
The Sarawak health department said the victim frequently played with and fed stray cats and had previously handled the carcass of a cat that died after being hit by a vehicle. PETALING JAYA : A 13-year old boy from Kuching became the first person to get infected with rabies in Sarawak, according to the state health department. The victim was said to have exhibited symptoms such as fever, loss of appetite, vomiting, hallucinations, and trouble swallowing water on May 21, The Borneo Post reported. He initially sought treatment at a private hospital before being referred to Sarawak General Hospital, where clinical tests confirmed the rabies infection. According to the department, the victim had been scratched by a stray cat, but did not seek medical treatment. He also frequently played with and fed stray cats and had previously handled the carcass of a cat that died after being hit by a vehicle, the department said. 'These behaviours indicate a high level of exposure to rabies,' it said. As of today, the number of rabies cases in Sarawak has dropped by two compared to the same period in 2024. Despite the 'downward trend', the department said, incidents involving animal bites remain high across the state. Between 2017 and the 20th epidemiological week of 2025 (May 11 to 17), a total of 63,301 dog bite cases, 57,210 cat bites or scratches, and 1,832 bites by other animals were reported.
BBC News
25-05-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Jersey organisations urged to get data protection basics right
The head of a Jersey data protection body has urged organisations to "get the basics right" if they want to avoid breaches of personal follows a virtual audit of a health department by the Jersey Office of the Information Commissioner (JOIC) which it said holds sensitive information and had suffered breaches in the past. While there were areas of good practice the audit set timeframes for improvements in staff training and ensuring it had relevant and effective data protection policies and commissioner Paul Vane said he hoped the results of the audit sent a "very strong message" to organisations trusted with people's data. 'Distress and harm' The JOIC is a part of the Jersey Data Protection Authority and is responsible for overseeing the data protection and freedom of information its audit process the JOIC assesses policies, processes and levels of compliance with data protection law, highlight potential risks and set timeframes for most recent audit follows a separate review of part of the island's health sector in March. "Organisations should be getting the basics right to avoid breaches which can cause distress and harm to individuals and reputational damage," Mr Vane said. "Elements of this most recent audit mirror the findings from a separate audit on a health service sector that we published earlier this year."We publish key findings to allow those processing personal information in Jersey, no matter how small or large their organisation, to benefit from the lessons learned."We hope lessons from our audits as well as other enforcement actions send a very strong message to those operating in Jersey that are entrusted with islanders' personal information."
News24
19-05-2025
- Health
- News24
Eastern Cape health dept hunts whistleblower who exposed doctor shortage at Livingstone Hospital
Livingstone Hospital staff fear retaliation as the Eastern Cape health department probes a leaked letter about doctor shortages, which the department claims was penned by 'faceless individuals' to destabilise the facility.
