The Health Ministry reported that a boy, approximately nine years old, has been hospitalized in serious condition with encephalitis, sedated and ventilated in intensive care at Rambam Hospital in Haifa. Yesterday, a sample was sent that confirmed the suspicion that the boy became ill as a result of a rare amoeba (Naegleria fowleri). A preliminary epidemiological investigation revealed that the boy swam at Kurssi Beach on the Sea of Galilee about a week before his hospitalization. This is a rare disease with a high mortality rate, caused by a rare microscopic amoeba found primarily in warm freshwater sources. Infection can occur when water containing the amoeba enters through the nose, from where the amoeba can reach the brain. The disease is not caused by drinking water and is not transmitted from person to person. In case of symptoms such as fever, significant headache, nausea and vomiting after exposure to warm freshwater, medical examination should be sought, especially if neck stiffness, confusion or unusual drowsiness and altered consciousness develop subsequently.