CDC data show Texas and Florida lead U.S. brain-amoeba cases

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has identified Texas and Florida as the states with the most reported infections of Naegleria fowleri, a freshwater amoeba that can cause primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM). The agency’s records, covering 180 cases with known exposure locations between 1937 and 2025, list Texas with 40 cases and Florida with 37, followed by Virginia and California.

"States with warmer climates have the most PAM cases, but they do occur in northern states as well," the CDC noted on its website.

Recent reports this summer include two confirmed U.S. cases, one involving a child in Louisiana and another involving a teenager in North Carolina. The infection typically occurs when contaminated water enters the nose during activities such as swimming, diving, or water sports in warm lakes, ponds or rivers.

Health officials advise using nose clips, avoiding stirring up sediment in shallow water, and keeping the head above water in hot springs to reduce risk. Although fewer than ten people are diagnosed annually in the United States, the disease progresses rapidly and is often fatal.