Rare Case Of Brain-eating Amoeba Reported in Florida
According to health officials in the US state, a case of a rare brain-eating amoeba has been confirmed in Florida.
One person in Hillsborough County had contracted Naegleria fowleri, said the Florida Department of Health (DOH).
Fatal infection of the brain can be caused by the microscopic, single-celled amoeba. The amoeba enters the body through the nose and is commonly found in warm freshwater and it cannot be passed from person to person.
Details on the patient’s condition or where the infection was contracted were not mentioned by the DOH.
In Florida, since 1962 only 37 cases have been reported as it is rare here. In the southern US states, are where the infections are typically seen.
On 3 July, the DOH issued a warning to residents of Hillsborough County given the potentially deadly consequences of infection.
The locals were urged by the health officials to avoid nasal contact with water from taps and other open water sources such as cancels, ponds, rivers, lakes as in the warmer summer months of July, August, and September, the infections are more likely to occur.
The symptoms of those infected with Naegleria fowleri show vomiting, nausea, and
fever, as well as headaches and a stiff neck, and most of them die within a week after getting infected.As the disease progresses rapidly, the DOH has urged people who experience those symptoms to seek medical attention right away.
The DOH said, “A safe and relaxing summer swim season can be allowed with effective prevention strategies, and we have to remember that this disease is rare.”
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Naegleria fowleri infections are rare in the US.
Only 34 infections were reported in the country between 2009 and 2018. The CDC said that out of those cases, one person was infected by contaminated tap water used on a backyard slip-n-slide, three after performing nasal irrigation with contaminated tap water, and 30 people were infected by recreational water.
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Rare Case Of Brain-eating Amoeba
