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Teen Dies from Brain-Eating Amoeba, Days After Louisiana Girl’s Death
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A North Carolina teenager has died from a rare and often fatal infection caused by an amoeba found in warm freshwater, state health officials said. (GoFundMe) The teen’s death was reported just days after an 8-year-old girl in Louisiana succumbed to the infection.
A microscopic image shows Naegleria fowleri, the amoeba that causes the rare brain infection primary amoebic meningoencephalitis. (CDC) The infection can occur when water containing the amoeba is forced up the nose, allowing the amoeba to travel to the brain.
"While these infections are very rare, this is an important reminder that this amoeba is present in our state and across the U.S.," State Epidemiologist Zack Moore, M.D., said in a prior statement. The amoeba is most active in the months that the water temperature stays elevated. (iStock) "If you are swimming in those waters, wear a nose clip, don't put your head underwater, those types of things," he said.
To prevent potentially fatal infections, Jeffrey Kahn recommends either avoiding the types of waters where the amoeba is likelier to be found, or taking added precautions. Because the amoeba is found in soil, the CDC also recommends avoiding stirring up the sediment at the bottom of lakes, ponds and rivers.
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- A North Carolina teenager has died from a rare and often fatal infection caused by an amoeba found in warm freshwater, state health officials said. (GoFundMe) The teen’s death was reported just days after an…
- "While these infections are very rare, this is an important reminder that this amoeba is present in our state and across the U.S.," State Epidemiologist Zack Moore, M.D., said in a prior statement.
- A microscopic image shows Naegleria fowleri, the amoeba that causes the rare brain infection primary amoebic meningoencephalitis. (CDC) The infection can occur when water containing the amoeba is forced up the nose,…
- To prevent potentially fatal infections, Jeffrey Kahn recommends either avoiding the types of waters where the amoeba is likelier to be found, or taking added precautions.
- The amoeba is most active in the months that the water temperature stays elevated. (iStock) "If you are swimming in those waters, wear a nose clip, don't put your head underwater, those types of things," he said.
- Because the amoeba is found in soil, the CDC also recommends avoiding stirring up the sediment at the bottom of lakes, ponds and rivers.
Sources
- Fox Newslink