acting Charlotte Countyon the southwest coast of the Florida: A man died due to probable consumption of tap water containing the microscopic “brain-eating” amoebascientifically known as Naegleria fowleri.
Dies of “brain-eating” amoeba, Authority: “Only use distilled or sterile water”
The state health department made the incident public. However, the identity of the victim was not disclosed. Health officials said in a statement that the missing person contracted the parasite “probably as a result of nasal rinsing practices with tap water.”
Residents, as well as the general population, have been advised to use only distilled or sterile water when preparing sinus irrigation solutions.
The death was registered at the end of February. The competent authorities are investigating for clarification. An epidemiological investigation to understand “the specific circumstances of the infection” is underway, said Jae Williams of the Florida Department of Health.
How the brain-eating amoeba works
Naegleria fowleri lives in the environment and, if multiplied in hot water, can in some cases cause fatal infections that reach the brain via the olfactory nerves. Nasal lavages and swimming activities, therefore: “In rare situations, this amoeba can cause a brain infection called primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM),” said the health authority.
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The figures referred to the deadly infections of the “brain-eating” amoeba
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about three people become infected across the United States each year. In most cases, these infections are fatal. The last known message is from August 2022: The victim in this case was a child from Nebraska.
From 1962 to 2021, only four out of 154 people in the United States survived a brain-eating amoeba infection.
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