Child likely died of brain-eating amoeba infection after swimming in river

[Kamaji]

Child likely died of brain-eating amoeba infection after swimming in river

By Ben Cost
August 18, 2022

A child has likely died from a rare, brain-eating amoeba they possibly contracted while swimming in a Nebraska river, according to local health officials.

“We can only imagine the devastation this family must be feeling,” Douglas County health director, Dr. Lindsay Huse, said in a Wednesday statement regarding the deadly infection, ABC reported. “We can honor the memory of this child by becoming educated about the risk and then taking steps to prevent infection.”

The victim, whose age of gender has yet to be identified, had reportedly fallen ill and passed away this week after swimming in Nebraska’s Elkhorn River this past Sunday, per the Douglas County Health Department.

“The infection is extremely rare, but nearly always fatal,” officials added.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is currently investigating whether their death was caused by the specific parasite in question. If confirmed, this would be the state’s first death caused by Naegleria fowleri, according to the state’s Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).

Naegleria fowleri infiltrates swimmers’ noses and takes root in their brain, infecting them with primary amebic meningoencephalitis — an extremely rare condition that’s fatal 97% of the time, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In fact, only four people — out of 154 recorded cases — have survived since the parasite was first identified in the 1960s.

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Source:  https://nypost.com/2022/08/18/child-dies-of-brain-eating-amoeba-infection-after-swimming/