The Florida Department of Health reported that a resident of Hillsborough came in contact with Naegleria Fowleri which infects the brain tissues. This disease is generally called Primary Amoebic Meningoencephalitis (PAM) and is a brain eating amoeba.
These microbes are single-celled amoeba that could harm the brain severely. The amoeba digests the brain tissues through its way into the human brain. That is what it also signifies as a brain eater.
Naegleria Fowleri contaminates through warm freshwater. Hot springs, lakes, rivers are potential sources where the amoeba could be found. It goes into our system via nose and infects the brain fatally.
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A patient infected by Naegleria Fowleri
The health officials of Florida did not inform anything about the infected patient’s condition yet. Florida Department of Health neither specified the area from where the contamination happened. Naegleria Fowleri can not spread from one person to another though.
Southern states of the US are most likely to see this brain eating amoeba infection. Naegleria Fowleri is very uncommon in Florida. There were only thirty-seven cases of this infection, reported from 1962. Centers for Disease Control informed that in the US the survival rate is 1 out 4 infected patients.
Florida’s Health Department issued a warning for its citizens of Hillsborough County on Friday, requesting them to avoid nasal contact with tap water. They have also asked the residents of the region not to encourage diving in ponds, rivers, and swimming pools, or any such open water bodies like canals for at least July, August, and September when the temperature is likely to be higher. The infection is likely to spread in warm degrees.
Symptoms of brain eating amoeba
The symptoms of Naegleria Fowleri are fever, vomiting, headache, nausea, stiff neck disorientation, loss of balance, seizures, and hallucinations. Infected patients may survive a week, but it is fatal enough to kill.
Health officials have asked people who are suffering from any of the above symptoms to attend medical facilities for urgent help. The infection of the brain eating amoeba can grow very fast.
DOH said that infection due to Naegleria Fowleri is rare but appropriate safety measures can remove the contamination. They have asked people to use nose clips if they go for a swim in summer seasons.
Centers for Disease Control said that Naegleria Fowleri contamination is not very common in the US. There are only 34 patients found from 2008 until 2019. Around 30 contaminations happened due to contact with diving in hot waters such as rivers and lakes. CDC informed that 3 infections happened due to nasal watering tap water. There is 1 patient who got the infection because of using infected tap water on the backyard slip-n slide.
