The lethal amoeba, which survives on the bacteria in warm waters and enters the human brain through nasal cavity
KARACHI: My heart is heavy and I am extremely upset since I heard that my teacher Sir Uzair Ali Amjad passed away this week. Sir Uzair was a victim of the deadly naegleria fowleri, commonly known as the ‘brain-eating’ amoeba. His untimely demise comes as a shock to his students, since he was a strong man in his 20s. He taught me math in grade 8th and then continued to be our substitute teacher throughout my O’ level years. Sir Uzair was soft-spoken and friendly, and he always greeted us with a bright, warm smile. He gave us the confidence every day to believe in ourselves and he made us feel comfortable enough to joke and have light-hearted conversations with him whenever we were free in school.
Primary amoebic meningoencephalitis is defined in medical literature as a rare, but usually fatal infection, caused by naegleria fowleri, an amoeba found in rivers, lakes, springs, drinking water networks and poorly chlorinated swimming pools. The illness attacks a healthy person, three to seven days after exposure to contaminated water with symptoms of headache and slight fever, in some cases associated with sore throat and rhinitis, commonly known as stuffy nose.
The lethal amoeba, which survives on the bacteria in warm waters and enters the human brain through nasal cavity and eats up its tissues, can only be eliminated through proper chlorination or boiling of water. The alarming upsurge in the frequency of deaths because of the deadly infection has exposed the authorities’ claims of taking adequate measures to curtail the horrors of the germ. The government must take serious and swift action to chlorinate water more properly to prevent the loss of innocent lives. There also needs to be greater awareness raising campaigns, particularly via news and television. The public must especially be told that the germ could potentially approach the victim’s brain through nasal cavity during ablution (Wuzu) at home or in mosques where water supplies are not safely chlorinated. For rinsing nose during ablution, one should ideally use chlorinated or boiled water.
We might not always remember definitions or equations, but we remember the way a good teacher inspired us and influenced us. While I mourn the loss of a great man, I feel blessed and honoured that he was a part of my life and I know that he is in a better place. You will be missed, Sir Uzair.
Mohammed Taha Younis
Published in The Express Tribune, July 1st, 2017.
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