Nevada public health officials report death of brain-eating amoeba

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – The Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health (DPBH) has reported the death of a Lincoln County youth from an infection with Naegleria fowleri, also known as the brain-eating amoeba.

According to a news release, DPBH believes the individual may have been exposed to Ash Springs, a natural hot spring located on federal land in Lincoln County.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) informed DPBH that Naegleria fowleri had been confirmed as the cause of the patient’s illness. Naegleria fowleri is a microscopic single-celled living amoeba that occurs naturally in the environment. According to DPBH, this amoeba can cause a rare, very serious brain infection called primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) that destroys brain tissue and is almost always fatal.

DPBH said Naegleria fowleri lives in soil and warm fresh water, such as lakes, rivers and hot springs. The amoeba infects people by entering the body through the nose and traveling to the brain. It is not transmitted from person to person.

Symptoms of Naegleria fowleri infection begin with severe headache, fever, nausea, and vomiting and progress to stiff neck, seizures, and coma that can lead to death. Because Naegleria fowleri occurs naturally in the environment, there is no way to eliminate the amoeba from freshwater bodies. Although the risk is low, recreational water users should always assume a risk when entering warm fresh water.

Precautions recommended by the CDC include the following:

• Avoid jumping or diving into bodies of fresh, warm water, especially during the summer.
• Close your nose, use nose clips, or keep your head above water when in warm, fresh water bodies.
• Avoid putting your head underwater in hot springs and other untreated geothermal waters.
• Avoid digging or stirring up sediment in warm, shallow fresh water. Amoebas are more likely to live in sediments at the bottom of lakes, ponds and rivers.

For more information on Naegleria fowleri, visit the CDC website here.

Copyright 2023 KVVU. All rights reserved.