Parasite in Sea of Galilee Strikes Again: Two Bathers Diagnosed with Corneal Damage

The Ministry of Health reported two cases of corneal damage diagnosed in people who bathed in the Sea of Galilee, attributed to the microsporidia parasite. One patient bathed in late June and the other in early July. Symptoms may appear between one and three weeks after bathing. The ministry emphasizes that bathing is permitted and there is no risk in drinking the water, but recommends seeing an eye doctor if redness, pain, or a foreign body sensation occurs.

The Ministry of Health reported this evening two cases of corneal damage diagnosed in the past week in people who bathed in the Sea of Galilee. The damage is attributed to the microsporidia parasite, a microscopic parasite that can penetrate the outer layer of the eye and cause keratitis. One patient bathed in the Sea of Galilee in late June, and the other in early July. In both cases, symptoms did not appear immediately but only after a prolonged period, and they may develop between one and three weeks after bathing. Symptoms include redness, pain, light sensitivity, tearing, a foreign body sensation in the eye, and blurred vision. The Ministry of Health emphasizes that bathing in the Sea of Galilee is permitted and there is no risk in drinking the water, but calls on anyone who bathed in the lake in recent weeks and suffers from these symptoms to seek examination by an eye doctor. The examination is especially important when symptoms do not resolve, worsen, or are accompanied by decreased visual acuity. The ministry recommends avoiding self-use of eye drops, especially those containing prescription drugs, which may blur the clinical picture and delay diagnosis. The announcement comes in the midst of the summer season, when tens of thousands of hikers and vacationers arrive at the shores of the Sea of Galilee.