Patient dies of brain-eating amoeba in South Carolina, hospital confirms
A tragic incident has occurred at a children’s hospital in South Carolina, where a patient has succumbed to a rare and deadly brain infection caused by a brain-eating amoeba known as Naegleria fowleri.
Prisma Health Children’s Hospital-Midlands confirmed the heartbreaking news during a news briefing, revealing that the patient had passed away from primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM). This condition, although rare, is often fatal and is caused by the Naegleria fowleri organism.
While the hospital did not disclose any further details about the patient, the South Carolina Department of Public Health indicated that the exposure likely occurred at Lake Murray, although they cannot definitively confirm this. This marks the first reported case of Naegleria fowleri infection in the state since 2016.
During the briefing, Dr. Anna-Kathryn Burch, a pediatric infectious disease physician at the hospital, emphasized the severity of these infections, stating that the vast majority of cases in the United States result in death.
“Greater than 97% of cases that have occurred since the ’60s have been fatal,” she noted.
Burch went on to explain that these infections occur when contaminated water enters the nose forcefully and travels to the brain. This can happen during recreational activities in warm freshwater bodies such as lakes, rivers, and hot springs, where the amoeba thrives.
To minimize the risk of infection, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends holding your nose or using a nose clip when participating in water activities or ensuring your head remains above water in hot springs.
It is important to note that Naegleria fowleri infections cannot be transmitted through swallowing contaminated water or from person-to-person contact.
This tragic incident is not an isolated case in the U.S. this year.
Earlier in the year, a Texas woman lost her life to a Naegleria fowleri infection after using tap water from her RV in a nasal irrigation device, as reported by health officials in May.
The 71-year-old woman, previously in good health, developed severe symptoms such as fever, headache, and altered mental status within days of using the nasal rinse. Despite receiving medical treatment for suspected PAM, she ultimately succumbed to the infection eight days after the onset of symptoms.
