‘Brain-eating amoeba’ a rare risk in Texas lakes. Here’s what you should know
After a 10-year-old girl died last year from a brain-eating amoeba after swimming in a river, Central Texas officials are warning swimmers about the amoeba again this summer.
The Naegleria fowleri amoeba is usually found in warm, stagnant or slow-moving water, according to the Brazos River Authority.
Texas and Florida are where the deadly amoeba is most prevalent, statistics show.
In rare cases, the amoeba can make its way into a person’s nose, then brain,, when they jump or dive into fresh water, the Texas Department of Health Services said. The condition is called “primary amebic meningoencephalitis.”
“The infection progresses rapidly, causing massive destruction of the brain and meningeal tissues, resulting in coma and death usually within 10 days from onset of symptoms. This infection is almost always fatal,” according to the department.
A 10-year-old girl died after she was infected with the brain-eating amoeba last year after swimming in a Texas river, McClatchy news reports.
“It is extremely serious and almost always fatal,” Texas Department of State Health Services spokesman Chris Van Deusen told McClatchy news after the girl get the infection in September. “Since it’s so rare, we don’t know why a few people get sick while millions who swim in natural bodies of water don’t.”
State and federal officials emphasized that cases are very rare. There were 145 known cases of the illness between 1962 and 2018, and almost all were fatal, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The most cases since 1962 were in Texas, with 36, and Florida had 35 in that time, CDC data shows.
“PAM only infects people when water containing the amoeba enters through the nose, usually from diving or jumping into freshwater. The infection cannot be spread from person to person or by drinking contaminated water,” according to the Brazos River Authority.
“The amoeba travels up the nose and makes its way into the brain along the olfactory nerve, destroying brain tissue,” the river authority said.
The Brazos River Authority and state public health officials say it’s best to use nose clips or hold your nose when you jump into the water. They also say to avoid stirring up underwater sediment.
Public health officials say you should avoid swimming in warm fresh water when the water levels are low and avoid areas of stagnant water. They also say people need note when there are “no swimming” signs posted and take the warning seriously.
This story was originally published June 5, 2020 at 12:17 PM with the headline "‘Brain-eating amoeba’ a rare risk in Texas lakes. Here’s what you should know."
