VIDEO: Illegal water tankers identified as major cause of Naegleria outbreak in Karachi

A concerning report has highlighted that the primary cause of Naegleria cases in Karachi is the supply of underground water through illegal water tankers.

Tests conducted on water samples from 50 union councils in the city revealed that 95% of them were contaminated with the deadly Naegleria parasite.

Experts have attributed the alarming spread of Naegleria to the unauthorized extraction and sale of underground water, which is supplied through unregistered water tankers.

More than half of Karachi’s population relies on tanker-supplied water for their daily needs. While the Karachi Water Board has only 400 registered tankers, over 7,000 tankers operate daily, supplying water across the city without proper regulation.

Read more: Naegleria claims two more lives in Karachi

What is Naegleria?

Naegleria infection is caused by a ‘brain eating amoeba’ which is commonly found in fresh water lakes, rivers or hot springs. You can also become infected by it whilst swimming in pools and engaging in other fresh water sports.

This amoeba usually travels through the nose and enters the brain where is causes severe damage. The symptoms start to show within 24 hours of contact and the amoeba can take your life within 7 days.

Symptoms:

Symptoms of Naegleria include high fever, headache, vomiting, and neck stiffness. At the final clinical stage, the virus can lead to coma.

Precautionary measures:

Chlorination is the key method to kill the germ and keep the life-taking disease at bay.

Another way is to use boiled water while cleaning nose as the germ enters through the nasal cavity of its victim and attacks the brain.