RALEIGH, N.C. – A teen has died after developing a rare illness according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. NCDHHS has reported that a central North Carolina teen has died from Naegleria fowleri, an amoeba commonly found in warm fresh water.
It is not found in salt water or in properly maintained and chlorinated pools. NCDHHS released a statement regarding the amoeba.
NCDHHS recommends taking steps to stay safe when entering warm freshwater, especially late in the summer when most of these cases occur. In addition to preventing water going up your nose by holding your nose shut, safety measures include using nose clips or keeping your head above water when taking part in warm freshwater-related activities, avoiding putting your head underwater in hot springs and thermal waters, avoiding jumping or diving in warm freshwater during periods of high water temperatures and low water levels, and avoiding digging in or stirring up the sediment while taking part in water-related activities in shallow, warm freshwater areas. For more information, please see the CDC’s How to Prevent Naegleria fowleri Infection webpage.
Symptoms of Naegleria fowleri infection — also called primary amebic meningoencephalitis or PAM — start with severe headache, fever, nausea and vomiting, and progress to stiff neck, seizures and coma. Once symptoms start, the disease progresses rapidly and usually causes death within about five days. Typically, fewer than 10 people a year in the United States get PAM.
