9-Year-Old Boy Dies After Naegleria fowleri Infection from Sea of Galilee Swim

Baruch Neria, aged nine, was pronounced dead on Thursday at Israel's Rambam Hospital after an infection with Naegleria fowleri, a microscopic amoeba that can destroy brain tissue. The boy, a resident of Pardes Hana, had visited Kursi Beach on the Sea of Galilee six days before his initial hospitalization three weeks ago. An epidemiological probe linked his illness to water exposure at the beach, where the organism thrives in warm freshwater.

The Ministry of Health noted the disease's rarity—only roughly 500 cases globally—and its high mortality, adding that it cannot be contracted by drinking water nor transmitted between people. Recent years have seen two U.S. cases and three Israeli cases, underscoring the need for public awareness of the infection route through the nose.