Child dies from a brain-eating amoeba after visiting Nevada hot spring

There is no end to the list of deadly infections and potentially fatal viruses people could be unknowingly at the risk of being afflicted by. Medical scientists can do their best at raising alarm bells such as with the urgent recall of possibly infected food or sharing symptoms of potentially fatal infection or issuing warnings over emerging health problems such as in case of warning issued over tap water after a person caught a rare infection from it.

But there are still certain cases that bring to light that despite many precautions, there are fatal risks to our health ever present in the environment around us, even in warm fresh water.

As reported by CBS News, in a terribly unfortunate incident, a 2 year-old toddler lost his life after being infected by a deadly amoeba. He is reported to have caught the infection after a trip to Nevada hot springs.

Flesh eating amoeba in fresh water

As per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2-year-old Woodrow Bundy contracted theNaegleria fowleri infection at Ash Springs, in the north of Las Vegas. This infection is more commonly known as 'brain-eating amoeba,' owing to the way in which it infects the brain.

The child experienced flu-like symptoms, which then worsened leading to his death.

The amoeba lives in warm fresh water, such as hot springs, pipes and water systems, and it is contracted through the nose. The infection then travels to the brain, where it causes an infection called primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM). PAM is usually fatal due to the speed at which it kills brain tissues.

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How to protect against brain-eating amoeba

As per the report, there has been a similar death of another child in Nevada last year due to brain-eating amoeba.

According to Healthy Children, out of 154 known infections due to brain-eating amoeba in the United States from 1962 to 2021, only four people have survived.

Per their recommendation, you can protect against Naegleria fowleri infection by avoiding fresh warm water especially in summer. You should also avoid diving into such water, keeping your head above warm thermal water or using nose clips where possible.

If you have already inhaled warm fresh water, you could prevent infection by rinsing your sinuses with boiled or distilled or filtered water.

Signs of infection include flu-like symptoms in the earlier stages. More serious stage symptoms could be stiff neck, seizures, altered mental state, hallucinations and being comatose.

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Sources used:

CBS News: 'Child dies from brain-eating amoeba after visiting hot spring, Nevada officials say'

Healthy Children: 'Naegleria Fowleri: How to Protect Against a Rare Brain Infection'