Brain-eating amoeba Naegleria has claimed another life of a resident of Karachi, the death toll from the disease reached 8, said Sindh health department.

45-year-old Adnan was a resident of New Karachi who was diagnosed with Naegleria on October 19 when he was shifted to a private hospital in metropolitan.

According to the report from the hospital, he had felt headache two days before being admitted to the hospital.

Naegleria fowleri is an amoeba (single-celled living organism) that lives in soil and warm freshwater, such as lakes, rivers, and hot springs. It is commonly called the “brain-eating amoeba” because it can cause a brain infection when water containing the amoeba goes up from the nose.

Cumulatively, the brain-eating disease has claimed eight lives during the ongoing year 2023. As per the details provided by the provincial health department, there were five cases reported in Karachi, while Hyderabad and Mirpur Khas have reported 1,1 case.

The population of Naegleria can be halted by using the required quantity of chlorine in water, as the amoeba enters the brain through the nose and eats the brain.

The department added that Nigeria fowleri is still an incurable disease.