A child became infected with the amoeba Naegleria fowleri after swimming in Lake Kinneret in Israel.

A child became infected with the rare amoeba Naegleria fowleri after swimming in Lake Kinneret in northern Israel.

This is the fourth case in the country since 2022, and a nine-year-old boy is in intensive care on a ventilator.

The Israeli Ministry of Health has updated recommendations for the public regarding swimming in Lake Kinneret, recommending limiting exposure of water to the nose as much as possible.

TEL AVIV, September 6 - RIA Novosti. A child became infected with a brain-eating amoeba after swimming in Lake Kinneret in northern Israel, the fourth case of the rare disease diagnosed in the country since 2022, Israel's Health Ministry said on Sunday.

"A nine-year-old boy was hospitalized in serious condition with encephalitis. He is in intensive care on a ventilator. Laboratory tests confirmed suspicions that the boy became ill as a result of infection with a rare amoeba, Naegleria fowleri," the press release said.

According to the department, during the epidemiological investigation it was established that the child was swimming at Kursi Beach on Lake Kinneret about a week before hospitalization.

“The Ministry of Health is updating recommendations for the population regarding swimming in Lake Kinneret. When swimming in Lake Kinneret, it is recommended to limit the entry of water into the nose as much as possible,” the Ministry of Health said, listing a number of recommendations.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 400 cases of Naegleria fowleri infection have been reported worldwide. Since 2022, four cases of the disease caused by the amoeba Naegleria fowleri have been diagnosed in Israel. Two of the sick people died.