A tragic case in China has drawn public attention after a 6-year-old boy reportedly contracted the rare and deadly Balamuthia mandrillaris amoeba—commonly referred to as the “brain-eating amoeba”—following water play at school. Despite 27 days of intensive treatment in the hospital, the boy sadly passed away at the age of 6 years and 8 months.
The boy’s mother shared a heartbreaking letter on social media on the evening of August 11, thanking medical staff who helped in his treatment, while expressing her grief: “My dear child’s life ended at 6 years and 8 months.”
Reports indicate that the boy had been diagnosed in June at Shanghai’s Fudan University Affiliated Hospital after a lumbar puncture revealed the presence of the amoeba. Doctors believe the infection may have occurred either during a water fight at school on June 6 or while fishing in a park on April 13.
Following the diagnosis, the mother reached out on social media for advice and support, with Dr. Zhang Wenhong and infectious disease specialists conducting consultations. They arranged treatment with the drug nitroxoline, sourced through a pharmaceutical company after guidance from families of previously cured children. Despite the efforts of hospital staff, pharmaceutical support, and assistance from netizens, the boy succumbed to the infection after nearly a month in the pediatric intensive care unit.
Balamuthia mandrillaris is not a true worm but a single-celled organism. The most dangerous amoeba in this category, Naegleria fowleri, can enter the body through the nose, travel along the olfactory nerve, and rapidly invade the brain, causing acute amoebic meningoencephalitis. In China, such infections are extremely rare, mostly affecting young children and teenagers, with a mortality rate as high as 98%. The amoeba can bypass the body’s immune defenses and reproduce quickly, destroying surrounding brain tissue within hours.
Medical experts advise precautions during water activities to reduce the risk of infection: wear nose clips or hold your nose when diving or jumping into water, avoid stirring up sediment in shallow water, and prevent water jets from directly hitting the nose. For home use of nasal irrigation devices, only boiled and cooled water, sterile saline, or distilled water should be used—tap water is unsafe.
Doctors note that seawater and properly maintained swimming pools with adequate chlorine are generally safe, as these environments are less conducive to amoeba growth. However, anyone who develops high fever, severe headache, nausea, vomiting, or stiff neck within one to two weeks after exposure to warm freshwater should seek medical attention immediately and inform doctors of their recent activities. Early detection and treatment, often with multiple drugs and careful control of intracranial pressure, are critical and have been successful in some cases in China.
