Last month, a man in south Florida, USA, died from a brain-eating infection after using tap water for sinus rinses.
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According to Fox 4 news, the man, who has not been named but has been identified as a Charlotte County resident, died on February 20, three days before the county health department issued a public alert about the infection.
On February 23, the DOH-Charlotte reported one case involving Naegleria fowleri, a microscopic single-celled living amoeba. According to the department, infection is rare and can occur only when water contaminated with the amoeba enters the nose, emphasizing that it cannot be contracted by drinking tap water.
A man dies after becoming infected with a brain-eating amoeba while rinsing his sinuses with tap water.
The amoeba can cause a brain infection known as primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), for which there are no known effective treatments.
According to the CDC, symptoms of brain-eating amoeba usually appear one to nine days after nasal exposure, and many people die within 18 days. Severe headaches, fever, nausea, and vomiting are common in the first stage, and stiff neck, seizures, altered mental status, hallucinations, and coma are common in the second.
A man dies after becoming infected with a brain-eating amoeba while rinsing his sinuses with tap water.
According to the CDC, this is the first case in Florida where a person was infected through tap water, and the first case reported during the winter months.
Caleb Ziegelbauer, 13, contracted a possible brain-eating amoeba while swimming at Port Charlotte Beach Park in Charlotte County, Florida, last summer.
Though his case has not been confirmed as a Naegleria fowleri infection by the US health agency, his medical team believes it is. He is still alive and on his way to recovery as of last week.
According to the CDC, the amoeba prefers warm, freshwater environments such as lakes, rivers, and hot springs. It is also likely to be found living in sediment at the bottom of lakes, ponds, and rivers, so digging in or stirring up soil in shallow, warm fresh water is not recommended.
Caleb Ziegelbauer, 13, contracted a possible brain-eating amoeba while swimming at Port Charlotte Beach Park in Charlotte County, Florida, last summer.
Though his case has not been confirmed as a Naegleria fowleri infection by the US health agency, his medical team believes it is. He is still alive and on his way to recovery as of last week.
According to the CDC, the amoeba prefers warm, freshwater environments such as lakes, rivers, and hot springs. It is also likely to be found living in sediment at the bottom of lakes, ponds, and rivers, so digging in or stirring up soil in shallow, warm fresh water is not recommended.
