What to know about the brain-eating amoeba that killed a child swimming in a South Carolina lake

Two weeks following a holiday weekend on a well-known lake in South Carolina, a 12-year-old child passed away due to a brain-eating amoeba.

When water is driven up the nose, as occurs when someone leaps or dives in the sea, the brain-eating amoeba enters the body.

It results in an infection that damages brain tissue and causes swelling. In the United States, fewer than 10 cases are documented annually, but nearly all of them are fatal.

The amoeba’s most recent victim and other threats to freshwater lakes are as follows:

What is the amoeba that consumes the brain?

Naegleria fowleri is the official name for the amoeba, which is most harmful in water that is above 77 degrees Fahrenheit for an extended period of time. This includes lakes and rivers in the United States as well as other locations with hot, occasionally dry summers, such as Pakistan and Australia. As far north as Minnesota, reports of infections have come from 26 U.S. states.

The olfactory nerve in the nose allows the amoeba to enter the brain. Once within, it produces primary amebic meningoencephalitis, an illness.

Initial symptoms include nausea and a fairly typical headache. It is nearly always too late to save the afflicted person by the time the agony gets really bad. Only four persons have survived out of the 167 instances that were documented in the United States between 1962 and 2024, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. According to the CDC, the majority of the deaths occurred within five days after being ill.

According to the organization, a single illness in a body of water does not raise the likelihood of another infection in the same body of water. The amoeba is unable to transfer between people.

According to the CDC, it was the first amoeba-related fatality in South Carolina since 2016.

What took place?

Over the July Fourth weekend, Jaysen Carr went swimming at Lake Murray, which is located roughly 15 miles west of Columbia.

He became ill a few days later and passed away on July 18.

Before a tearful doctor informed his parents of the results of tests on his spinal fluid, they had never heard of the amoeba.

Like the majority of U.S. states, South Carolina does not have a legislation mandating the public to be informed of amoeba infections or deaths, which astonished Clarence Carr. No water testing was done, and the lake remained open.

“My son was an exceptionally intelligent person. Carr remarked, “If he had one warning, he would have believed that swimming in the lake was a bad idea.”

Although amoeba is widespread, infections are uncommon.

The amoeba, which is somewhat common, is most harmful in warm water.

The South Carolina Department of Environmental Services stated in a statement that it would be challenging to do routine water testing and that there is no scientifically supported threshold for what concentration of the organism in the water would be acceptable or unsafe.

Scientists are working to understand why the infections are so uncommon. Antibodies have been detected in some individuals, suggesting that they may have survived exposure. Without the amoeba ever being discovered, others may pass away from brain edema and other issues.

“While swimming, my kid lost his life. We thought it was secure,” Carr remarked.

The CDC began a pilot program last year to administer an antibiotic that has been licensed for use in Europe to infected individuals, which has been shown in lab experiments to kill the amoeba.

Rarely, the amoeba can be found in tap water, rivers, and hot springs. For this reason, doctors advise using sterile water and a neti pot to clear the nasal passages.

Avoiding swimming in lakes or rivers and, if you do, keeping your head above the water are the only ways to be absolutely safe. When diving or swimming, you can prevent water from getting into your nose by pinching it or using nose clips.

Additional risks present in rivers and lakes

Swimming in lakes and rivers rather than pools presents additional risks because chemicals can eradicate harmful germs and other creatures.

E. coli bacteria may be present in a mouthful of water. According to the Mayo Clinic, although the bacteria typically reside in the intestines of healthy humans and animals, certain strains can result in a variety of illnesses, such as intestinal infections, vomiting, cystitis, and urinary tract infections. In the worst situations, blood poisoning can be fatal.

Algae can also cause illnesses. Cyanobacteria also referred to as blue-green algae are plant-like organisms that live in water.

The algae can look like foam, scum, mats, or paint on the surface of the water and can grow underneath it.

The organisms can quickly grow out of control, or “bloom,” in warm weather, helped along by excessive nutrients in fertilizers and pet waste carried along by stormwater.

Some of the algae produce toxins that can cause symptoms including skin irritation, stomach cramps, vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, fever, sore throat, headache, muscle and joint pain, mouth blisters, seizures, and acute liver damage, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.