Brain-eating amoeba: first death reported in South Korea from Naegleria fowleri infection | world news

SEOUL: The first infection of Naegleria fowleri, or “brain-eating amoeba”, has been reported in southern Koreahealth authorities announced on Monday.
the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) confirmed that a Korean national who died after returning from Thailand had been infected with Naegleria fowleri, which destroys the human brain.
The man in his 50s returned to Korea on December 10 after a four-month stay in the Southeast Asian country and was admitted to hospital the following day. He died on Tuesday last week, reports Yonhap Press Agency.
This is the first known infection of the disease in the country, which was first reported in the United States in 1937.
Naegleria fowleri is an amoeba commonly found in warm freshwater lakes, rivers, canals and ponds around the world. The amoeba is inhaled through the nose and travels to the brain to destroy brain tissue.
The KDCA said the risks of human-to-human transmission of Naegleria fowleri are low, but asked local residents to refrain from swimming in areas where the disease has broken out.
A total of 381 cases of Naegleria fowleri were reported in 2018 worldwide, including the United States, India, and Thailand.

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