A US citizen from South Florida who used tap water to rinse his nose passed away from a brain-eating amoeba last month. The Charlotte County person passed away on February 20. It was three days before the health agency alerted the public to the infection. Naegleria fowleri, known as the “brain-eating amoeba,” has been connected to a patient’s death.
Naegleria fowleri is a single-celled organism that dwells in soil and warm freshwater environments. Which includes lakes, rivers, and hot springs, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the US government’s health agency.
How does one get affected?
The DOH-Charlotte emphasizes that it cannot be transmitted by drinking tap water and that it is an uncommon infection. It can occur when water infected with the amoeba enters through the nose.
It is known as the “brain-eating amoeba” because it can infect the brain when amoebic water is rubbed up the nose. Just three Americans each year infect themselves, yet these illnesses are typically fatal. Primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), an illness that can result from it. It is a condition for which there are no known effective treatments. The brain swells as a result of the infection’s destruction of brain tissue. Early PAM symptoms and indications may resemble bacterial meningitis.
The symptoms:
One to nine days after exposure, symptoms typically start with severe headaches, fever, nausea, and vomiting. The infection spreads quickly. In the second stage, the infected person may have spasms, a stiff neck, hallucinations, and go into a coma.
Although doctors utilize a combination of medications believed to have some effect on Naegleria fowleri and to manage symptoms. There are no known effective therapies for PAM.
DOH-Charlotte is carrying out its inquiry into the tragedy. In order to find any potential connections and take any necessary corrective measures, they claimed they were “continuing to explore how this infection developed.”
Also, the department advised residents to exercise particular caution when bathing, showering, cleaning their faces, and swimming, diving into the water, and playing with hoses or sprinklers to prevent water from entering their noses. Also, it’s advised to maintain inflatable pools and plastic ones clean and steer clear of slip-and-slides.
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