North Carolina teen's fatal brain-eating amoeba infection linked to community center water feature
State health officials say a 13-year-old who died from Naegleria fowleri infection was most likely exposed to the parasite in a water feature at a Durham County mental health center.
State and local health officials said a North Carolina teenager who died after contracting the rare brain-eating amoeba Naegleria fowleri was most likely infected by a water feature at a community-based mental health center in Durham County. The parasite, which thrives in warm freshwater, can cause fatal primary amebic meningoencephalitis when water containing it is forced up the nose, though it does not cause illness if swallowed, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS). The teen was hospitalized on Aug. 22 and died on Aug. 31. NCDHHS investigators traced the likely exposure to Aug. 13, when the youth splashed water from the garden feature onto his face. The department reported that no other potential sources were identified. The water feature was closed on Aug. 28 after testing for the amoeba began. > "Our hearts are broken for the young boy who lost his life and for his family. We are committed to supporting his family and our community through this devastating loss. We will continue to fully cooperate with public health officials," the mental health center said in a statement.