A child in South Carolina has died after being infected with a rare brain-eating amoeba, state health officials confirmed.
On Monday, July 21, the South Carolina Department of Public Health (DPH) announced that the case was confirmed on July 7. Officials stated that exposure likely occurred at Lake Murray in Columbia. However, they “cannot be completely certain as this organism occurs naturally and is present in many warm water lakes, rivers and streams.”
The pediatric patient, whose age has not been released, was treated at Prisma Health Children’s Hospital-Midlands.
Naegleria fowleri, commonly referred to as brain-eating amoeba, is a single-celled living organism that can cause a rare and almost always fatal infection of the brain called primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM). According to a CDC report, only four people in the U.S. out of 154 from 1962 to 2021 have survived the infection.
On July 22, Prisma Health confirmed that the patient has died. The DPH said there is currently no larger risk to the public.
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Brain-eating amoeba Naegleria fowleri
“This is not a threat to the general public. I think the fact that this is extremely rare, about 10 cases per year in the United States, really indicates that recreational water activities for the general public are actually quite safe,” Dr. Linda Bell, South Carolina State Epidemiologist, told WIS10.
“We do recommend that people observe certain safe swimming behaviors. There are certain things that can increase the risk, but as we know, people participate in swimming, water skiing, diving, all sorts of things. And the fact that this is so rare in the United States tells us that these warm bodies of water do not pose a significant threat for this particular organism.”
Health officials say this is the first case of brain-eating amoeba in South Carolina since 2016. They are now urging the public to educate themselves about Naegleria fowleri and how to stay safe.
Brain-eating amoeba is commonly found in warm fresh waters such as lakes, rivers and hot springs. It also resides in poorly maintained or minimally chlorinated swimming pools, staying in these habitats to feed on bacteria.
Symptoms of brain-eating amoeba generally start one to nine days after nasal exposure and many people die within 18 days of showing symptoms, according to the CDC. These include severe headaches, fever, nausea and vomiting in the first stage and stiff neck, seizures, altered mental status, hallucinations and a coma in the second stage. PAM, the infection caused from the amoeba, is ultimately hard to detect though, because of the rapid progression of the disease. Diagnosis is typically made postmortem.
Although infection is rare, there is currently no way to reduce the number of amoebas in water. On its website, the CDC says it is “unclear how a standard might be set to protect human health and how public health officials would measure and enforce such a standard.”
The only guaranteed way to avoid brain-eating amoeba infections is to refrain from participating in water-related activities in warm freshwater. Anyone who spends time in the water is urged to cover their nose or use nose clips.
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