South Korea's first patient dies from brain-eating amoeba

According to The Korean Times, South Korean authorities have reported the first case of Naegleria fowleri brain infection. Last month

The disease has spread throughout the United States, and now other countries appear to be at risk. Hi-Tech previously told whether the amoeba threatens Russia.

In South Korea, the infection led to deatha man in his 50s who died ten days after the first symptoms appeared. It is suspected that he came into contact with the amoeba in Thailand. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) confirmed that the patient was indeed infected with Naegleria fowleri.

He had symptoms before he diedmeningitis—headaches, fever, vomiting, slurred speech, and a stiff neck. They appeared in the evening upon arrival from Thailand. He was transferred to the emergency department the next day, but there was little medical workers could do for a man already infected. He was officially declared dead on December 21. Post-mortem tests confirmed that he was suffering from Naegleria fowleri infection.

The KDCA did not report the exact route of transmission of this particular case, but stated that the main causes of infection are swimming in contaminated water or rinsing the nose with “unsafe water.”

Naegleria fowleri is a type of amoeba that causes an irreversible infection of the brain. It is commonly known as the "brain-eating amoeba."

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Cover: Naegleria fowleri parasites, CDC