South Korea reports the first case of "brain-eating amoeba" infection, the infected person has died

　　Chinanews.com, December 27th, according to comprehensive Korean media reports, the South Korean health department disclosed on the 26th that South Korea reported the first case of Naegleria fowleri infection.

The amoeba, commonly known as the "brain-eating amoeba," has killed those infected.

　　The Korean Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed that a 50-year-old Korean man returned to South Korea on December 10 after living in Thailand for four months, and was sent to the hospital the next day after returning to South Korea.

The patient began to develop meningitis symptoms such as headache, vomiting, fever, slurred speech and neck stiffness that night, and died on the 21st.

　　The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated that through the detection of the three pathogens that cause the "brain-eating amoeba", it has been confirmed that the cause of the man's death is related to the "brain-eating amoeba".

　　"Brain-eating amoebas" are single-celled organisms that live in soil and warm freshwater around the globe.

The amoeba usually enters the body through the nose and causes a very rare but life-threatening infection of the brain.

The infection, known as primary amoebic meningitis, is fatal but does not spread from person to person.

　　At present, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has not found the exact transmission route of this amoeba, but it pointed out that swimming in contaminated water or using unclean water to rinse the nasal cavity is the main cause of infection.

　　According to reports, the initial symptoms of infection with "brain-eating amoeba" include headache, fever, nausea and vomiting, which may lead to further deterioration of symptoms and neck stiffness.

The incubation period for this amoeba is usually 2 to 3 days and can be as long as 15 days.

　　This is the first known case of "brain-eating amoeba" infection in South Korea.

The case was first identified in Virginia, USA in 1937.

　　According to the Korea Herald, as of 2018, a total of 381 cases of "brain-eating amoeba" infections have been reported worldwide.

From 1962 to 2021, 154 cases of infection have been reported in the United States alone.

Only four infected people survived, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with a death rate of more than 97%.