WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - A patient in South Carolina has died after being infected by a rare brain-eating amoeba, according to Prisma Health Children's Hospital-Midlands. The infection, called primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), is caused by an organism known as Naegleria fowleri.
Even though the hospital did not release any specific details of the deceased, the state health officials believe that the patient was likely exposed to the amoeba while in Lake Murray. This is the first known case in South Carolina since 2016.
Dr. Anna-Kathryn Burch, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at the hospital, said these infections are extremely serious, and most people in the U.S. who get PAM do not survive. According to the CDC, PAM happens when water containing the amoeba enters the nose and reaches the brain. Fewer than 10 people get infected each year in the U.S., but nearly all of them die.
The CDC says infections usually happen after swimming in warm freshwater lakes or rivers, especially during long hot periods when the water gets warmer and levels drop. The amoeba thrives in these conditions.
Early symptoms of PAM include headache, fever, nausea, and vomiting. As the infection worsens, it can cause a stiff neck, confusion, trouble concentrating, loss of balance, and hallucinations. The disease progresses quickly, often leading to coma and death within five days, though it can take upto 18 days after symptoms begin.
Although Naegleria fowleri is common in warm freshwater, there are steps swimmers can take to protect themselves, such as avoid getting water up the nose by holding the nose or using a nose clip when jumping into water, keep your head above water in hot springs, avoid digging in shallow areas, and always use distilled or boiled water for nasal rinsing.
In a separate case earlier this year, a woman in Texas died after using tap water from her RV to rinse her sinuses, which led to an infection from the same amoeba.
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