And the Korean Agency for Disease Control and Prevention stated that a Korean citizen died after returning from Thailand, infected with Naegleria fowleri, which destroys human brains.
And the agency indicated that the possibility of transmission of the disease from one person to another is low, according to what was reported by the South Korean “Yonhap” news agency.
The man, in his fifties, returned to South Korea on December 10 after a 4-month stay in Thailand. He was transferred to a hospital the next day, and died last Tuesday.
Brain-eating amoeba
- This is the first known case of the disease in South Korea.
- The first case of a brain-eating amoeba was reported in the United States in 1937.
- Naegleria fowleri is an amoeba commonly found in warm freshwater lakes, rivers, canals and ponds throughout the world.
- The amoeba is inhaled through the nose and travels to the brain to destroy its tissues.
- A total of 381 cases of Naegleria fowleri were reported as of 2018 in the world including the United States, India and Thailand.
#braineating #amoeba