The man suffered an infection “possibly as a result of rinsing practices of the sinuses with tap water”
A man residing in Charlotte County, on the southwestern coast of Florida (USA), died as a result of the probable consumption of tap water that contained the microscopic “brain-eating” amoeba scientifically known as Naegleria fowlericonfirmed the state Department of Health.
The health authorities indicated in a statement that the deceased, whose identity was not disclosed, suffered an infection from this parasite “possibly as a result of sinus rinsing practices with tap water.”
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A bather infected by a brain-eating amoeba on a US beach
A bather infected by a brain-eating amoeba on a US beach
Authorities continue to investigate this death, which occurred at the end of last February.
“An epidemiological investigation is underway to understand the specific circumstances of infection” of this parasitic amoeba. Unfortunately it resulted in one death, and any additional information about this case is confidential to protect patient privacy,” said Jae Williams of the Florida Department of Health.
The Naegleria fowleri lives in the environment without causing harm to humans, but when it proliferates in warm water it can cause lethal infectionsreaching the brain through the olfactory nerves during bathing.
This amoeba can destroy brain tissue and often causes deathTherefore, the authorities call for caution during activities in fresh and temperate waters in summer.
“In rare situations, this amoeba can cause an infection of the brain called primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM),” said the Department of Health, which urged residents in that county to follow a series of guidelines. sanitary instructionsamong others, such as using only distilled or sterilized water when making the aforementioned type of nasal rinse.
Between 1962 and 2021, only 4 of the 154 people infected in the US with the “brain-eating” amoeba survived.
According to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a child who contracted this parasite died last year after swimming in Lake Mead in Nevada; another child died in Nebraska and a Missouri resident, who became infected after bathing in Iowa, was picked up by CBS Miami.
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