Brain-eating amoeba claims fourth victim who picked up parasite after swimming in lake



A Kansas resident died this week from what was likely a rare infection by a brain-eating amoeba - the fourth such case in the U.S. this year.

State and local officials warned residents to avoid activities in warm rivers, lakes and other bodies of heated, fresh water, including ponds near power plants.



Single deaths from such infections also have been reported this summer in Florida, Louisiana and Virginia.

Tragic: The victim entered a hospital Aug. 19 complaining of headaches, developed breathing problems and died five days later

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 120 cases - nearly all fatal - have been reported since the early 1960s.

The Kansas victim was from Sedgwick County. The person apparently went swimming in August in the city lake in Winfield, about 30 miles southeast of Wichita, said county spokeswoman Amanda Matthews.

The victim entered a hospital Aug. 19 complaining of headaches, developed breathing problems and died five days later.

Matthews said the CDC confirmed Thursday that a specimen from the victim initially tested positive for the amoeba. She said more testing will be conducted.

'It’s unknown, really, why it causes such a rare infection,' Matthews said.

'Not a lot is known about it because it is so rare.'



The death follows that of a boy aged nine and a 16-year-old girl earlier this year.



The young man's death was traced to the tap water he used in a neti pot, a small teapot-shaped container used to rinse out the sinuses with salt water to relieve allergies, colds and sinus trouble.



Tragic: Christian Alexander Strickland, nine, from Virginia, became infected by the parasite after he went to a fishing camp in the state. Health officials later found the amoeba in the home's water system. Dr. Raoult Ratard, Louisiana's state epidemiologist, said the problem was confined to the man's house and was not found in city water samples. The young man had not been swimming nor been in contact with surface water, Ratard added. Christian Alexander Strickland, nine, from Virginia, became infected by the parasite after he went to a fishing camp in the state. He died from meningitis on August 5 and health department officials confirmed that his death was from meningitis caused by an infection by the brain-eating amoeba, known as Naegleria fowleri.

Courtney Nash, 16, from Florida, died from the same infection after swimming in a local lake. Christian Alexander's aunt Bonnie Strickland told the Richmond Times Dispatch: 'The doctor described it to us as such a slight chance that they didn't even think it would be possible.' Dr Keri Hall, state epidemiologist at the Virginia Department of Health, said in a statement: 'Sadly, we have had a Naegleria infection in Virginia this summer. It's important that people be aware of … safe swimming messages.'

Also dead: Courtney Nash, 16, from Florida, died this week after swimming in St John's Lake. her family donated her organs

Where: Locator map showing the two places in America where children were killed by the brain-eating amoeba this month

Naegleria fowleri moves into the body through the nose and destroys brain tissue. It almost always causes meningitis, the paper said.

WHAT IS AMOEBIC MENINGOENCEPHALITIS? Amoebic meningoencephalitis occurs often during very hot weather and is contracted in stagnant freshwater. The microscopic amoeba (mostly Naegleria fowleri species) are commonly found in the upper layer of sediment in the bottom of lakes and ponds with mud floors. They can also be found in poorly maintained pools and hot tubs. When water temperatures hit 80 degrees, the amoeba come out to freely circulate in the water.

The infection is usually treated with anti-fungal medications and antibiotics. Only one person is believed to have survived the infection since the 1970s. The amoebas usually enter the body through the nose and attack the brain and spinal cord.

The disease progresses rapidly, usually resulting in death.

Symptoms of an infection include headache, fever, nausea and vomiting, stiff neck, confusion, lack of attention to people and surroundings, loss of balance and bodily control, seizures and hallucinations.



The public is urged to contact a medical professional immediately if experiencing any of these symptoms.



Officials urge swimmers to avoid swimming in bodies of freshwater. Those who do should wear nose plugs or hold their nose when they jump or dive in.

The Naegleria fowleri does not pose a threat to swimmers in local springs, well-maintained pools and the ocean, according to the CDC. It can't be transmitted from person to person, either.

In the case of Courtney Nash, it is believed she was diving off a rock with family at St John's River when she caught the disease.



Courtney's mother, Patricia Nash, said that shortly before her death, she had decided to become an organ donor.



She told WESH that both lungs were transplanted and Courtney's liver and pancreas were 'performing another miracle for someone else'. Her kidneys were also being transplanted.



'I didn't get my miracle, but she has performed other miracles. If we can save other people's lives so they don't have to go through what I just went though, this could be a blessing in disguise,' she said.



