Rare but deadly amoeba infection hard to prevent The CDC found 32 reported cases in 10 years - compared with 36,000 drowning deaths from 1996 to 2005. Virginia's last confirmed case was in 1969.Īmoeba infections in humans are extremely rare. Keri Hall, the state's director of epidemiology. The child died within the last few weeks, said Dr. The Richmond Times Dispatch said the child was a 9-year-old boy from Henrico County. In another case, the Virginia Department of Health confirmed Friday that a child from central Virginia died from primary amoebic meningoencephalitis, which is caused by the amoeba. and she wouldn't shut them all the way."Ī spinal tap showed that Naegleria fowleri was present in her spinal fluids. "She would say, 'I don't know.' And I'd tell her to lay back down. "She would sit up in bed and just look at me, and I would ask her what was wrong," Nash-Ryder said. Nash-Ryder, said her daughter complained of a headache, threw up 20 times and ran a fever as high as 104 degrees. The amoeba could have entered the teen's body as the teen swam in a nearby river. The first death in 2011 occurred in June in Louisiana, according to the CDC.Ī 16-year-old died Saturday after becoming infected by an amoeba in Brevard County, Florida, according to CNN's affiliate WFTV. The amoeba, called Naegleria fowleri, is the only type that infects humans and is more than 95% lethal. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."We don't want to minimize how hard it is for families." "These are rare infections, but super tragic for families," said Jonathan Yoder, the waterborne disease and outbreak surveillance coordinator at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And most of the time, they occur in children and teenagers. Health officials usually record about two to three cases in a given year - 1980 was the highest with eight deaths. The amoebas flourish in the heat - especially during the summer months in the South, thriving in warm waters where people swim. This is the time of year when there is an uptick in cases. (CNN) - It's eerie but it's true: Three people have died this summer after suffering rare infections from a waterborne amoeba that destroys the brain. Amoebas can enter the human nose after a person jumps or dives into warm fresh water.While rare, the amoeba, called Naegleria fowleri, is more than 95% lethal.3 people have died after a waterborne amoeba infected their brains, the CDC confirms.
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