A 25-year-old man perished to the amoebic infection after contracting it while trying to catch fish in a pond in his hometown. According to a Saigon Giai Phong report, Dr. Nguyen Van Vinh Chau, director of the Tropical Diseases Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, this is the first case of its kind in the country. People typically get it byswimming, jumping or playing in freshwater and get the water up their nose. From there the parasite travels to the brain and spinal cord and necrotizes, or basically eats brain tissue. The disease is known as primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) and it has a very rapid progression. Typical symptoms may start after a day or two; headache, fever, nausea and vomiting. Later symptoms may include seizures, irrational behavior, hallucinations and finally coma and death. The course of the disease typically last about a week.