Brain-Eating Amoeba a Threat to Warm Freshwater Lakes

A nine-year old California boy died in early August, his death attributed to the brain-eating amoeba, known as Naegleria amoeba. According to a Fox News report, the youngster may have contracted the infection in the freshwater lake located in his hometown.

This serves as a tragic reminder to the possible danger freshwater lakes can pose, when overheated by the long days of summer, and swimmers and skiers fail to take certain precautions.

Last September there was a report of an Arizona child suffering the same fate, after being infected at another freshwater lake. Associated Press writer, Chris Kahn, reported on last year's tragic event.

The focus of this story should not be about which lake the infections occurred. Avoiding a particular lake will not protect the general public, as it is a possible threat in any warm, freshwater lake. Yet, the overall threat is rare, according to the Fox News story there have been just 33 cases reported nationwide from 1998 to 2007.

Although the threat is rare, the parents of children lost to the deadly ameba are not comforted by low statistics. And since there are ways to prevent the infection, there is no reason the general public should not become better informed, and possibly prevent future fatalities.

When the hot days of summer heats up a freshwater lake, it makes an ideal living condition for an ameba known as Naegleria. Only one species, the Naegleria fowleri, can be fatal to humans. The ameba must be violently injected up the nostrils, making it possible for the ameba to attach to the brain, where it literally begins eating away at the organ.

Simply swimming in, or swallowing the water is not the danger. The ameba must be forced up the nose, such as when diving into infected waters. The still, shallow back coves are more likely to be a threat, where the warmer waters become a welcoming host. Skiers and tubers might want to confine their activities to the open body of the lake, where the waters are cooler and deeper. Health experts recommend using nose plugs, when splashing around and jumping into the warm waters of a freshwater lake. It is also advised not to stir up the sediment in the shallow warm water, as that helps to release the Naegleria fowleri.

Those infected with the ameba will begin suffering symptoms a day to two weeks after the infection. Symptoms may include headache, nausea, stiff neck, vomiting and fever. As the infection progresses, there will be a loss of balance, seizures, cognitive clarity, and hallucinations. Death normally occurs within a week after initial symptoms.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) "It is likely that a low risk of Naegleria infection will always exist with recreational use of warm freshwater lakes, rivers, and hot springs." Yet, when comparing the threat of drowning to the ameba, the CDC reported that there were 36,000 US drowning in a ten year period, compared to 33 deaths due to the Naegleria amoeba, during a ten year period.