"Have you been checked at the hospital over there? What did the doctors say? Did they do any treatment?"

Zhao Heng asked consecutively.

Headache, fever, vomiting and loss of speech function are very typical signs of brain edema. The only unknown is what is causing this brain edema.

Brain edema refers to the pathological condition where the brain's water content increases, leading to an enlarged brain volume, which is a response of brain tissue to various pathogenic factors.

Brain edema can cause increased intracranial pressure, which manifests as symptoms of headache and vomiting, and also damages brain tissue, thereby affecting the functions of the language and movement centers.

Clinically, it is common in neurological diseases such as cranial trauma, intracranial infections (encephalitis, meningitis, etc.), cerebrovascular diseases, intracranial space-occupying lesions (such as tumors), epileptic seizures, and systemic diseases like toxic dysentery, severe pneumonia.

"He was checked at the hospital on Jeju Island. The doctors said it was acute meningitis, and the treatment involved IV infusion."

The girl thought for a moment and said.

This time marked the three-year anniversary of her relationship with her boyfriend. Initially, she planned for a romantic getaway to Jeju Island, but unexpectedly on the third day, her boyfriend mysteriously developed a fever.

Not only did he have a fever, but he also had headaches and vomiting, and soon lost the ability to speak, which made the girl incredibly anxious.

Just as Zhao Heng was about to continue the consultation, the young man lying on the hospital bed suddenly widened his eyes in fear and started grabbing wildly at his chest, emitting intense hissing sounds from his throat, as if trying to say something.

"Doctor, what's happening to him?"

Seeing her normally suave and graceful boyfriend in such a state, the girl couldn't help but feel completely lost.

"Inject one unit of diazepam, and contact the imaging department for an emergency brain CT."

Seeing the young man start to act bizarrely, Zhao Heng showed no sign of panic on his face as he instructed Tian Zhen and Liu Meng.

"Okay."

Upon hearing Zhao Heng's orders, Liu Meng and Tian Zhen nodded in agreement.

Soon, after one unit of diazepam was injected, the young man calmed down.

However, the terrifying episode that had just occurred still weighed heavily on the atmosphere.

The girl seemed frightened, took a moment before slowly asking Zhao Heng, "Doctor, what's happening to him? Could there be something sinister involved?"

On Jeju Island, she had heard some horror stories, about some tourists who returned from there and went mad.

"His hallucination is caused by the damage to his brain function. Trust science,"

Zhao Heng said soothingly to the girl.

Not only did the young man exhibit symptoms of brain edema like headache and vomiting, but now he was also having hallucinations, which made Zhao Heng feel even more uneasy.

"Where did you go while you were on the island?"

After a moment's pause, Zhao Heng asked again.

The patient now has severe brain edema and brain function impairment, which surely cannot happen without a reason.

Even acute conditions causing brain edema, such as viral meningitis, typically wouldn't have such a substantial impact on the language and visual centers.

Therefore, Zhao Heng had a very bad premonition.

"We just strolled by the beach, besides that we tried some local delicacies and went swimming in the hotel pool."

The girl contemplated and then slowly replied.

"Doctor, does he have some strange illness?"

Hesitant, the girl asked again.

This episode with her boyfriend falling ill had utterly terrified her. Since he got sick, she had been enduring a lot; the past few days had been the toughest days of her life.

She couldn't imagine what she would do if anything happened to her boyfriend.

"Let's complete the examinations first. Don't worry, we will do our best to treat him,"

Zhao Heng reassured the girl.

Any young girl would be flustered when their boyfriend falls into such a state, which is quite normal.

What's abnormal is the onset of the young boy's illness.

"Mm, thank you, doctor, thank you,"

The girl nodded repeatedly, and Zhao Heng's reassurance brought her much-needed calmness, diminishing her earlier fears.

Next, Liu Meng contacted the imaging department to get an emergency brain CT for the boy.

11 a.m.

Zhao Heng sat in the office, looking at the brain CT images that had just been delivered by the imaging department, with a face full of gravity.

"Make a call and ask Director Liu from the neurosurgery department to come over,"

Zhao Heng instructed Liu Meng, who was standing nearby.

"Okay."

Noting Zhao Heng's particularly serious expression, Liu Meng nodded.

Before long, Liu Ziang entered the office and, seeing Zhao Heng watching the images, refrained from speaking, and stepped forward to also examine the brain CT images displayed on the viewer.

Upon examining the images, Liu Ziang, who was extremely experienced, had an exceptionally somber expression.

"Junior, is this today's patient? The brain tissue is compressed up to sixty percent?"

Liu Ziang spoke gravely.

On the CT images, Liu Ziang was astonished to see the patient's brain tissue compressed by almost sixty percent. Such severe compression of brain tissue and brain edema was something he, as the deputy director of neurosurgery at Eastern Hospital and a top authority in the field, had never seen before.

"Yes, the patient fell ill while traveling in Jeju Island, starting with headaches and vomiting, and now complicated by speech dysfunction and hallucinations."

Zhao Heng nodded and said.

"Junior, what are you suspecting?"

Liu Ziang contemplated a possibility and couldn't help but ask Zhao Heng.

"Imaging alone cannot confirm it, we must do sampling and pathogen testing to confirm the diagnosis ultimately."

Seemingly understanding what Liu Ziang was hinting at, Zhao Heng shook his head slightly as he replied.

"If it's truly an infection by that pathogen, then the hope for treatment is extremely slim."

Liu Ziang said, with a serious tone.

"I hope it's not, but all evidence suggests the symptoms highly resemble those of a Naegleria fowleri infection,"

Zhao Heng stated.

Naegleria fowleri, also known as Brain-Eating Amoeba.

Since the Brain-Eating Amoeba was first discovered and named in Australia in 1970, there have been at least 146 confirmed cases in the United States, but only 4 survivors, with a fatality rate exceeding 97%!

And among nearly 10 reported cases in our country, all the infected patients died without exception!

The "Brain-Eating Amoeba," also known as Naegleria fowleri, is a single-celled protozoan usually found in warm freshwater. It enters the central nervous system through the nasal cavity, infects the brain, ultimately leading to brain death of the infected.

This tiny amoeba can remain suspended in water or settle in soil, entering the human body when water submerges the nasal cavity, then migrating to the brain where it devours the protective layer surrounding the central nervous system, and consumes more brain tissue, moving deeper into the brain.

Crucially, there is currently no effective treatment for PAM caused by Naegleria fowleri infection in the medical field. Common antibacterials used for bacterial meningitis, and regular anti-amoebic medications, are ineffective.

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