Health Ministry Issues Swimming Warning for Sea of Galilee Beach After Amoeba Case
Israel's Ministry of Health banned swimming at HaShikmim Beach on the Sea of Galilee after detecting abnormal microbiological levels, weeks after a boy was infected with Naegleria fowleri.
The Ministry of Health has issued a swimming warning for HaShikmim Beach on the Sea of Galilee following abnormal microbiological results from routine water quality tests. The ministry reminds the public that swimming is permitted only at authorized and lifeguard-monitored beaches.
This announcement follows a tragic case earlier this month where 9-year-old Baruch Neria from Pardes Hanna was hospitalized in critical condition at the pediatric intensive care unit of Rambam Health Care Campus after swimming in the Sea of Galilee. The boy was rushed to the hospital sedated and ventilated suffering from severe encephalitis.
According to the epidemiological investigation, the child had swum at Kursi Beach on the Sea of Galilee about a week before symptoms began. Laboratory tests confirmed the grave suspicion: an infection with the amoeba Naegleria fowleri.
The amoeba, widely known as the "brain-eating amoeba," is a microscopic organism that thrives in warm, fresh water environments. While exceptionally rare—with fewer than 500 cases ever documented worldwide—the infection carries an extremely high mortality rate. Officials emphasize that the disease is not contagious from person to person, and drinking contaminated water poses no risk.
Transmission occurs exclusively when contaminated water enters the nasal cavity. From there, the amoeba can travel directly to the central nervous system and the brain, causing severe and life-threatening damage.
