Florida Confirms Brain-Eating Amoeba Case

BROWARD COUNTY, FL — On the heels of an 11-year-old South Carolina girl’s death due to Naegleria fowleri, or the brain-eating amoeba, a resident of Broward County has been hospitalized with the condition. The Florida Department of Health confirmed the localized case this week.

“At this time, we believe that the individual contracted the infection after swimming in unsanitary water on a single private property,” said Mara Gambineri, FDOH spokeswoman. “Health officials continue to investigate the location and are in the process of notifying persons with risk of exposure."

Naegleria fowleri is contracted when water containing the single-cell organism enters a person’s nose. “This typically occurs when people go swimming or diving in warm freshwater places, like lakes and rivers,” the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explains on its website. “The Naegleri fowleri ameba then travels up the nose to the brain where it destroys the brain tissue.”

People cannot become infected by drinking contaminated water, the CDC said. The amoeba must enter the nose.

Naegleria fowleri infections are considered very rare in the United States. Between 2006 and 2015, the CDC only recorded 37 cases. Out of that number, 33 people were infected by contaminated recreational water, three by performing nasal irrigation using contaminated tap water and one by using a backyard slip-n-slide that was primed with contaminated tap water, the CDC reported.

People who contract Naegleria fowleri may suffer a number of symptoms, which generally start about five days after infection. The initial symptoms include headache, fever, vomiting and nausea. As the condition progresses, seizures, hallucinations and confusion also typically appear.

“After the start of the symptoms, the disease progresses rapidly and usually causes death within about 5 days,” the CDC said.

In mid-July, a Texas teenager died after contracting the condition, and Hannah Collins, 11, of South Carolina died Aug. 5 due to the infection. The little girl contracted the amoeba while swimming in a river in July, CBS reported.

FDOH has released no detailed information about the patient in the Broward County case.

“The individual is currently in the hospital receiving treatment,” Gambineri said. “The department will provide updates as our investigation continues.”

For more information about Naegleria fowleri, visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention online.