A case of Naegleria has surfaced in Lahore, sounding alarm bells in the Punjab capital, the 24NewsHD TV channel reported on Monday.

The Naegleria-hit person, identified as 30-year-old Mustafa Shafiq, has been admitted to the Services Hospital in Lahore. His private lab test report confirmed he is Naegleria positive.

The health department has issued an advisory to stem the spread of deadly disease and put on high alert the medics and authorities concerned to cope with the challenge.

Symptoms

According to experts, Naeglerial – better known as brain-eating amoeba – is found in moist soil, freshwater bodies (like lakes, ponds, and rivers), poorly-chlorinated swimming pools, and water-supplying pipes.

As soon as it got into the human body, it destroys brain tissues, causing severe meningoencephalitis within one to nine days, they said, adding that its symptoms are nausea, headache, high fever, body aches, drowsiness, and fainting, and then the patient goes into a coma. Its death rate is cited as more than 97 per cent.

Preventative measures 

Personal actions to reduce its risk are to focus on preventing water from going up the nose.

People should always drink boiled water and abstain from washing their faces with polluted water.

People are requested to put chlorine in underground water tanks [one tablet in 1,000 gallons of water] and stay away from swimming in non-chlorinated pools.

Water tanks at homes, hospitals, schools, shopping malls, and offices should be cleaned twice a year and patients must be hospitalised at the earliest as the death rate is more than 97 per cent.