Brain-eating parasite kills child after travelling up his nose during lake swim
A child has been killed by a suspected brain-eating amoeba after swimming in a river.
The unnamed child contracted an infection known as primary amoebic meningoencephalitis after going for a dip in the Elkhorn River in Nebraska, US on August 8.
He developed symptoms five days after the swim and was admitted to hospital where he died 10 days later, according to Douglas County Health Department.
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On Thursday (August 18) health officials said the infection was caused by Naegleria fowleri, also known as brain-eating amoeba, which is a single-celled parasite.
The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed yesterday (August 19) that it had found Naegleria fowleri in the child’s cerebrospinal fluid, reports the Mirror.
“We can only imagine the devastation this family must be feeling, and our deepest condolences are with them," Douglas County health director Lindsay Huse said in a statement on Wednesday (August 17).
"We can honour the memory of this child by becoming educated about the risk and then taking steps to prevent infection."
The CDC says the amoeba can enter the body through the nose when in the water, where it then travels up the nose to the brain.
The brain-eating single-cell organisms often thrive in warm freshwater lakes, rivers, canals and ponds.
Dr Huse said droughts and heat in Nebraska had made it easier for the organism to thrive in the river.
It was the first death from the deadly disease in the state’s history and the second in the Midwest this summer.
Last month, a person died from the same infection after swimming at the beach at Lake of Three Fires State Park in Iowa.
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Meanwhile, Caleb Ziegelbaue, 13, was hospitalised in Florida in July after contracting a deadly brain-eating amoeba and has been taken off his ventilator but is still fighting for his life.
His aunt Katie Chiet posted on a GoFundMe page raising money for his treatment.
"His MRI scan continues to show damage in his brain but we remain hopeful that he'll turn the corner soon and make his way back to us," it said.
The infections are extremely rare with around 31 reported in the US in the last 10 years. However, the fatality rate is around 97%.
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