Experts have warned that a deadly, brain-eating amoeba is spreading in rivers and lakes across America this summer. Naegleria fowleriIt is a brain-eating amoeba that lives in the fresh waters of the United States and most parts of the world.
According to the British newspaper “Daily Mail”, this amoeba Caused by a bacterial infection that enters the nose and goes to the brain, explaining that the infection is always fatal, killing 97% of patients, and there are no dedicated medical treatments. An expert in parasitic diseases said the amoeba is “rapid and progressive” and “eats brain tissue.”
He added that ingesting contaminated water through the nose gives the amoeba a direct route to the brain, but swallowing the water is safe because stomach acid kills the bacteria. Two cases of infection have been reported this year, including a 13-year-old from Florida who was transferred to Hospital following doctors initially diagnosed him with meningitis.
Freshwater lakes and rivers across America may contain a deadly parasite lurking around them this summer and quickly swallowing your brain — and experts warn that if it gets into your nose, it has a 97 percent chance of death, often within 5 days of feeling symptoms.
Long live the bacteria Naegleria fowleri Naegleria fowleri in fresh waters around the world, and thrives in warmer temperatures of around 115 degrees Fahrenheit, causing cases to typically appear during the summer months. This means that lakes and rivers around America are at risk of carrying dangerous organisms, even water parks DANGEROUS, A 3-year-old boy from Texas died following being exposed to her in Splash Park Municipal last year.
An expert in parasitic diseases said that contaminated water ingested through the nose gives the amoeba a direct route to the brain, where it is always fatal, but swallowing contaminated water does no harm because stomach acid is strong enough to kill bacteria..
Notify the US Centers for Disease Control and PreventionCDC There have been less than 154 known cases of infection over the past 60 years, with nearly all cases in southern states reaching sweltering summer temperatures.
The newspaper said, all but 4 of these cases led to death, with a survival rate of only 3%. These cases are clustered in Texas and Florida in particular, where 40 and 36 injuries have been recorded, respectively, since 1962, when the CDC began tracking cases. There have been two cases reported already this year, including a Missouri man who died following being infected in Lake Iowa, and a Florida teen who fought for his life following swimming in a local river..
After a person is exposed to the amoeba, they are likely to feel symptoms such as headache, nausea, and fatigue within the next 1 to 9 days. Once symptoms begin, death almost always occurs within 5 days.
Because of its rarity, doctors often misdiagnose symptoms as meningitis, wasting valuable time that might be used to treat the bacteria, said Dr. Anjan Depnath, a parasitic disease expert at the University of California, San Diego..
And cases are not just limited to lakes and rivers, improper treatment of water in ponds and even tap water can lead to fatal exposure to the amoeba as well – causing multiple deaths among children in recent years..
The newspaper pointed out that the bacteria enters through the olfactory nerve of the nose, giving it a short and direct path to the brain. The stomach is strong enough to kill the amoeba.
Once a person’s olfactory nerve is exposed, it may take from one to 9 days for symptoms to start appearing, they usually die within 5 days of the symptoms first appearing, explaining, it is very fast, and Depnath explained that it eats brain tissue..
The newspaper said, the infection occurs in two stages, the first is relatively simple, in which the person suffers from a headache and other symptoms similar to those of the flu, this means that unless a doctor is aware that someone has been swimming in untreated water, he may not even suspect the amoeba, once Symptoms reach the second stage, the person will begin to have severe neurological problems such as seizures, the doctor will then likely discover the infection through a test of the cerebrospinal fluid, by this stage, the person will likely have already experienced severe symptoms that lead to death.
A similar situation occurred with Caleb Zigelbauer, 13, of Port Charlotte, Florida, where the teenager was swimming in a river near his home on July 1 on a family outing to escape the Florida heat, when he fell ill and was diagnosed with meningitis for the first time. Once, delaying the time it took for him to recover from the infection, 5 days later, Caleb developed a fever, and he complained of hallucinations, his parents rushed to the hospital in Fort Myers, where doctors diagnosed him with meningitis in the pediatric intensive care unit..
“Unfortunately, the amoeba Naegleria fowleri appears to be responsible for his illness,” Katie Cheet, the boy’s aunt, said on her crowdfunding page.“More than a week following he was admitted to the hospital, doctors finally realized that he had bacteria that is 97% fatal.
At the beginning of the month, an unnamed man from Missouri was infected while swimming in Lake Three Fires State Park in Iowa, in response, health officials closed the beach.
While these cases are rare, with less than 3 years being caught on average annually, it is advised not to swim in untreated water during the summer, especially in places like Florida and Texas where temperatures are exceptionally high, since the amoeba is only found in the water. In the fresh water, swimming in the ocean is generally safe – if families choose to visit a fresh water beach, anyone entering the water must wear a nose clip to prevent water from entering their nose.
Experts also recommend not kicking dirt or sand off the bottom of the lake as the warmer regions at depth are where microscopic organisms usually lurk..