A boy died from a brain-eating amoeba that might have been contracted at the lake

An Arizona man died after being exposed to a microscopic brain-eating amoeba: State health officials say he may have died from tap water practices

A man in southwest Florida died after becoming contaminated with a rare brain-eating amoeba, and state health officials think he might have died from practices that use tap water.

According to a release, Naegleria fowleri may have been encountered by the juvenile in the park’s Kingman Wash area, located on the Arizona side of the lake near Hoover Dam.

The microscopic amoeba is commonly found in warm freshwater, but infections are rare, according to the CDC. There were only 31 infections of Naegleria fowleri in the US between 2012 and 2021, according to the CDC. While infections are uncommon, they are almost always fatal.

The CDC said that people can be affected when the water contains the amoeba when diving, swimming or putting their head underwater. It can’t cause infection if swallowed and does not spread from person to person.

The Southern Nevada Health District found that the boy may have been exposed in early October and that he began showing symptoms about a week later.

Fermin Leguen of Southern Nevada District Health Officer offered his sympathy to the young man’s family. “While I want to reassure the public that this type of infection is an extremely rare occurrence, I know this brings no comfort to his family and friends at this time.”

PAM Prevention and Management: State and Local Health officials advised that swimming at Lake Mead is not allowed at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Refuge

The park’s release says that the park will allow swimming at Lake Mead. U.S Public Health Service Officer Dr. Maria Said explained in a statement that the decision took into account that “the organism exists naturally and commonly in the environment but disease is extremely rare.”

The park urged people to take precautions recommended by the CDC, which include avoiding jumping and diving into warm freshwater, holding or clipping their nose shut when swimming, keeping their head above water and avoiding submerging their head in hot springs.

State and local health and environmental agencies “continue to coordinate on this ongoing investigation, implement protective measures, and take any necessary corrective actions,” they added.

An analysis by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that there were 157 infections in the U.S. from 1962 to 2022, with four known survivors and a fifth fighting for his life.

Infections are common during the warm months in Southern states when more people swim in lakes and rivers.

But they can also happen when people use contaminated tap water to rinse their sinuses, either as part of a religious ritual or an at-home cold remedy.

It takes about five days for the first symptoms of PAM to appear, and they can start anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. Later symptoms can include stiff neck, confusion, seizures, hallucinations and coma.

Florida health officials reminded the public this week that Naegleria fowleri is not spread through water vapor, aerosol droplets, person to person transmission or drinking water.

Many people use neti pots — or nasal irrigation devices like bulb syringes and squeeze bottles — to flush out their clogged sinuses when feeling under the weather.

Water storage and disinfection for children’s swimming pools: advice for kids to keep their swimming pools clean and dry at the local water store

The boiled tap water that can be stored in a closed container and used within 24 hours can be distilled and sterile water sold in stores.

They recommend keeping plastic or inflatable pools clean by emptying, scrubbing and letting them dry after each use, and disinfecting swimming pools with chlorine before and during use.

To avoid slip-n- slides or other similar activities, officials warn against allowing kids to play with hoses or sprinklers unattended, and to prevent water from getting in the nose.