The Naegleria Fowleri also known as the Brain eating Amoeba is a Microscopic single-celled free living amoeba that can cause a rare life threatening infection of the brain called amoebic meningoencephalitis.
This is caused when water enters ones nose when swimming. The amoebic bacteria pass through the nose to the brain and begin slowly destroys the brain tissues. Its symptoms begin with sever headaches, fever, nausea and vomiting before escalating to seizures, hallucinations and coma finally death.
The Lake of Three Fires state park in Taylor county Lowa has been temporarily closed as a precautionary response to a confirmed infection of Naegleria Fowleri in a Missouri resident with recent exposure while swimming at the beach.
Since 1962, 154 known cases were identified in the U.S. In 2019, a 10 year old girl died after battling it for a week. In 2020, a 6 year old boy died after contracting it at Lake Jackson Splash Fountain. In 2021, a child in North Texas at Splash Pad. These statistics show that this has mostly affected children as their have been no sound cases of adults, but this does not mean that it is only the children affected but adults too can be affected.
This amoeba is commonly found in soil and in fresh warm water, hot springs, poorly maintained or unchlorinated pools. It takes about five days for the infection to show initial symptoms according to the U.S. Centers for Disease control and Prevention . It progresses rapidly and usually causes death between 1-18 days after symptoms.
The Health Department advises people to limit how much water goes up their nose by using nose clips, swimming with their head above the water and avoid being underwater when temperatures are high.
As of now, additional cases are still being investigated and shall be updated.
