USA: Naegleria fowleri 2016

[Ronan Kelly]

Link to 2015 thread: https://flutrackers.com/forum/forum/...a-fowleri-2015

June 22, 2016, 12:05 PM
Rare brain-eating amoeba kills Ohio teen

Lauren Seitz TWITTER USER @WSBANDS

A very rare brain-eating amoeba has killed a teen in Ohio, local officials report.

CBS affiliate WBNS in Columbus reports a local school identified the teen as 18-year-old Lauren Seitz. Officials say she died after suffering from Meningoencephalitis.

Mitzi Kline with Franklin County Public Health told WBNS the teen did not come in to contact with the amoeba in the state. Officials have not said where she contracted the disease.
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http://www.cbsnews.com/news/rare-brain-eating-amoeba-kills-ohio-teen/

[Ronan Kelly]

TEEN DIES FROM RARE BRAIN-EATING AMOEBA AFTER VISITING WHITEWATER CENTER IN CHARLOTTE

Teen dies from rare brain-eating amoeba after visiting NC
Lauren Seitz

Updated 5 mins ago
CHARLOTTE -- Mecklenburg County and North Carolina state health officials told WSOC Wednesday morning that they were investigating the death of an Ohio teen who may have contracted a deadly amoebic infection after visiting the U.S. National Whitewater Center in Charlotte.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told health officials that the June 19 death of Lauren Seitz, 18, who had just visited North Carolina is suspected to be from an amoeba that is found in warm lakes during the summer.
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http://abc11.com/news/teen-dies-from-brain-eating-amoeba-after-visiting-nc/1396389/

[Pathfinder]

Health Officials Investigate Amebic Infection

Raleigh
Jun 22, 2016

Mecklenburg County and North Carolina state health officials received notification from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that the June 19 death of an Ohio resident who recently visited North Carolina is suspected to be from an ameba that is naturally present in warm lakes during the summer.

The suspected cause of death was attributed to Primary Amebic Meningoencephalitis, an infection caused by Naegleria fowleri, a one-celled organism that does not cause illness if swallowed, but can be fatal if forced up the nose. The deceased?s only known underwater exposure was believed to be when riding in a raft with several others that overturned at the U.S. National Whitewater Center in Charlotte.

Naegleria fowleri infections are rare. According to the CDC, fewer than 10 cases have been reported annually in the United State during the last 53 years. This ameba can cause severe illness up to nine days after exposure. A person cannot be infected with Naegleria fowleri by drinking contaminated water and the ameba is not found in salt water.

The Mecklenburg County Health Department, CDC, Ohio Department of Public Health, Franklin County (Ohio) Public Health Department, the U.S. National Whitewater Center and the North Carolina Division of Public Health are collaborating with further investigation.

Mecklenburg County Health Director Marcus Plescia, MD, and State Health Director Randall Williams, MD, offer their condolences and prayers to the family.

In warmer areas where this infection has been more common, recommended precautions include:

Limit the amount of water going up your nose. Hold your nose shut, use nose clips, or keep your head above water when taking part in warm freshwater-related activities.

Avoid water-related activities in warm fresh water during periods of high water temperature and low water levels.

Avoid digging in, or stirring up, the sediment while taking part in water-related activities in shallow, warm fresh water areas.

For more information Primary Amebic Meningoencephalitis visit http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/naegleria/

http://www.ncdhhs.gov/news/press-releases/health-officials-investigate-amebic-infection

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OFFICIAL STATEMENT ? 6/22/16
A LETTER FROM OUR CEO

I would like to address the recent media reports and concerns expressed by our guests and supporters regarding the US National Whitewater Center. Yesterday afternoon, June 21, 2016, I was informed by health officials that an individual had passed away from meningitis potentially caused by a water born organism. The individual, Lauren Seitz, had visited the USNWC earlier in the month and the USNWC was therefore identified as a possible source of the organism.

On behalf of the USNWC, I wish to express our sincere condolences and sympathies to Lauren and her family. The USNWC is committed to working with health officials and all organizations to investigate in all manners possible the circumstances related to this incident.

At this point, the USNWC and the Centers for Disease Control, the North Carolina Department of Health and the Mecklenburg County Health Department have met to share information. An important point to highlight is that according to the health officials, the source of this organism has not been identified, and in all likelihood, is not identifiable. However, it is equally important to recognize that the organism is commonly found around the world in open bodies of water and the USNWC does have several such bodies of water.

The various health officials have stressed that while the presence of the organism is common, it is extremely rare to become infected by it. The CDC pointed out that there have been approximately 130 cases of the infection dating back to 1937 compared with 11 deaths every day from drowning. This comparison is driving our actions and analysis since the CDC is telling us that one occurrence is extremely rare and a second occurrence is equally rare. In other words, there are no outbreaks. Our focus is always on stressing safety and risk in the most appropriate manner possible.

In that regard, the US National Whitewater Center has always been aware of the significant risks associated with all aspects of the Center and has attempted to use every reasonable means possible to address water quality for safety purposes. Long before the Center was built, we worked with state and local health officials to determine the appropriate measures to use for water quality. Everyone recognized this was not a pool or a natural river and therefore would present its own unique circumstances. We installed and maintain a state of the art filtration system and ultraviolet radiation treatment system that continuously treats the 12 million gallons of water every 24 hours in addition to supplemental chlorine treatments. Our weekly water tests are conducted by a third party laboratory and we have remained in compliance with all standards and guidelines.

Having said all of this, despite every measure we take, there is always a risk of injury or harm based on the very nature of what we do and who we are. There are open bodies of water and they are exposed to naturally occurring organisms such as this particular amoeba. Based on the fact that the CDC has informed us of the extremely low risk of an infection at the Center, along with the water treatment precautions taken, I am very comfortable that the Center remains responsible and reasonable in every respect as it relates to this particular health risk and all other risks associated with the Center.

We will always recognize and stress the risks involved with the Center and we will remain vigilant in working to manage those risks as best as possible. These risks will always exist and we are deeply saddened any time harm occurs as a result. We are continuing to work with health officials to examine the facts involved in Lauren?s case, although we have been told repeatedly that little additional information will be determinable specific to this occasion. In the meantime, we will be thinking of Lauren and her family and doing everything possible help to understand the facts related to this matter.

Sincerely,

Jeffrey T. Wise

OFFICIAL STATEMENT ? 6/22/16

On June 21st, 2016, the U.S. National Whitewater Center was contacted by the Mecklenburg County Health Department and informed that an individual residing in Ohio had deceased from meningitis. The Center for Disease Control contacted the Health Department because the deceased claimed to have visited the USNWC. The meningitis was preliminarily diagnosed as Naegleria which results from a water born amoeba. The Health Department met with representatives from the USNWC on the afternoon of June 21st to gather information related to the operations of the whitewater system and water treatment. The following information was provided to the Health Department officials.

The U.S. National Whitewater Center sources its water from the Charlotte Mecklenburg Utilities Department and 2 wells located on the premises. The water contained in the whitewater channels is in a closed loop system comprised entirely of concrete. The water is disinfected with ultraviolet radiation and filtered with a disc filtration system. The UV system is a constant application and treats 12 million gallons of water every 24 hours which is the total volume of the system. In addition to the UV treatment, the Center periodically augments that treatment through the injection of chlorine into the system.

The levels of UV radiation disinfection utilized every day, continuously, at the Center are sufficient to ?inactivate? the water born amoeba in question to an effective level of 99.99%. After contact from the County Health Department, the USNWC released additional chlorine into the system in an abundance of caution. The levels of chlorine used in this additional chlorine based method equal the effectiveness levels of the UV method and are equal to 3 times the levels used in swimming pools.

The U.S. National Whitewater Center conducts water quality tests every week. Based on these tests and all available information, at all times, the USNWC has been in compliance with all required water quality standards and meets the requirements of all regulatory standards and authorities. The USNWC is working closely with the Centers for Disease Control and the Mecklenburg County Health Department to investigate the matter further.

http://usnwc.org/official-statement-6-22-16/

[Ronan Kelly]

Brain-eating amoeba forces closure at North Carolina waterpark after death
Lauren Seitz, who was visiting from Ohio, contracted rare infection at National Whitewater Center, where amoeba DNA was found in 11 water samples

Alan Yuhas
@alanyuhas
Saturday 25 June 2016 16.45 EDT

A North Carolina waterpark has shut down rafting activities after an Ohio teenager was killed by a brain-eating amoeba.

Lauren Seitz, 18, died last Sunday after she was exposed to the amoeba at the US National Whitewater Center (USNWC), a Charlotte-area center where she went with a church group earlier this month. According to officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Seitz died of a rare brain infection caused by the amoeba naegleria fowleri.

?Initial test results found naegleria fowleri DNA was present in the whitewater system,? the USNWC said in a statement. At a press conference, Mecklenburg County health director Marcus Plescia said most of 11 samples tested by the CDC this week showed preliminary evidence of the amoeba.
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https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jun/25/brain-eating-amoeba-north-carolina-waterpark-closes

[Pathfinder]

PRESS RELEASE ? 6/24/16

The U.S. National Whitewater Center (USNWC), after discussion with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and local health officials, has decided to temporarily suspend all whitewater activities effective immediately. This decision was made by the Whitewater Center after initial test results found Naegleria Fowleri DNA was present in the whitewater system. The USNWC is working with the CDC and local health officials to develop next steps. Only whitewater activities are suspended. The USNWC remains open for all other operations and activities.

http://usnwc.org/official-statement-6-22-16/

[Emily]

http://fox8.com/2016/07/03/brain-eating-amoeba-found-at-unusually-high-levels-in-water-park-where-ohio-teen-died/

Brain eating amoeba found at unusually high levels in water park where Ohio teen died

Posted 11:06 am, July 3, 2016, by Associated Press
CHARLOTTE, NC ? Levels of the brain-eating amoeba Naegleria fowleri that killed an Ohio teen were unusually high in water samples taken from the U.S. National Whitewater Center, and were likely caused by the failure of the water sanitation system, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced this week.
All 11 samples from the white water area of the park tested positive for the potentially fatal organism, the CDC said. Other samples from the nearby Catawba River were negative, although the amoeba was found in one sample of riverbank sediment.
?Our findings here are significant,? said Dr. Jennifer Cope, an infectious disease physician at the CDC. ?We saw multiple positive samples at levels we?ve not previously seen in environmental samples.?
The amoeba were likely able to grow to such concentrations because of the amount of dirt and debris in the water, which turned the water ?turbid? or murky, and interfered with the effectiveness of the sanitation process, Cope said.
?When you add chlorine to water like that the chlorine reacts with all that debris and is automatically consumed,? explained Cope. ?It is no longer present to inactivate a pathogen like Naegleria.?

Cope said the same is true about the UV light sanitation system at the water park. ?If you?re passing turbid water through UV light, the rays cannot inactivate pathogens,? she said.

...
The Charlotte based park boasts that it is the ?world?s largest man-made whitewater river?, and is one of a growing number of man-made white water systems often created for Olympic training and competition. In April, the U.S. canoe and kayak competitors held qualifying trials there, as they did before the 2012 and 2008 Olympics.
It?s also one of only three such systems in the U.S. that are not required to be regularly tested for pathogens, said Cope. According to local health officials, that?s because it?s viewed as more of a river, even though the park is made of concrete channels that recirculate 12 million gallons of water from the city?s municipal water system, some water wells, and rain....

[Ronan Kelly]

Texas

Teen Dies Days After Apparently Contracting Brain-Eating Amoeba
by Caitlin Nolan5:38 PM EDT, July 14, 2016

Teen Dies Days After Apparently Contracting Brain-Eating Amoeba Hudson Adams, 19, was rushed to the hospital after falling ill with flu-like symptoms over the weekend. (Facebook)
A Texas teenager has died after he apparently contracted a brain-eating amoeba, officials said.

Hudson Adams, 19, was rushed to the hospital after falling ill with flu-like symptoms over the weekend, the director of a summer camp Adams worked at told KPRC2.

He was then reportedly flown to Memorial Hermann, where he was placed on life support before he died Wednesday.

A spokeswoman with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told InsideEdition.com the CDC was notified of the case on July 12.
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http://www.insideedition.com/headlines/17526-teen-dies-days-after-apparently-contracting-brain-eating-amoeba

[Ronan Kelly]

South Carolina

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 2, 2016

CDC confirms rare brain infection in S.C. resident
COLUMBIA, S.C. - Lab tests have confirmed that a South Carolina resident has contracted an extremely rare infection of the brain, the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) announced today.

"The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed for us today that this individual was exposed to the organism Naegleria fowleri," said Linda Bell, M.D. and state epidemiologist. "The exposure is thought to have occurred on July 24 while the individual was swimming near Martin's Landing on the Edisto River in Charleston County. This organism occurs naturally and is all around us and is present in many warm water lakes, rivers and streams, but infection in humans is very rare. In fact, there have been fewer than 40 cases reported nationwide in the past ten years."

Dr. Bell said that infection from Naegleria fowleri is extremely difficult to contract, requiring very specific circumstances.

"First, you must be swimming in water in which the amoeba is present," she said. "Second, you must jump into the amoeba-containing water feet-first, allowing the water to go up your nose with enough force that the amoeba can make its way to the brain. Most commonly, exposure results in the amoeba dying before causing infection.

"You should avoid swimming or jumping into bodies of fresh water when the water is warm and the water levels are low. Also, you should either hold your nose or use a nose plug. You cannot be infected by merely drinking water containing the ameba," Dr. Bell said.

The best way to avoid Naegleria fowleri is through prevention:

Avoid water-related activities in warm, untreated, or poorly treated water.
Hold your nose shut or use nose clips when taking part in water-related activities.
Avoid digging in or stirring up sediment surrounding warm, fresh water.
Salt water, like the ocean, does not contain Naegleria fowleri. For more information about Naegleria fowleri, visit
https://www.scdhec.gov/Health/Diseas...lBorne/ameoba/.

###

Notes to editors:

Due to federal privacy restrictions, DHEC is unable to provide additional information concerning any individual, including details about physical condition, hospitalization, age, sex, and residence.

Naegleria fowleri pronounced: Neh-GLARE-ee-ah FOWL-uhr-eye.

DHEC Media Relations
media@dhec.sc.gov
803.898.1127

http://www.scdhec.gov/Agency/NewsReleases/2016/nr20160802-01/

[Ronan Kelly]

UPDATE | 11-year-old who contracted brain-eating amoeba has died


By Associated Press | Updated: Sun 11:40 AM, Aug 07, 2016

UPDATE | 11:30 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 7, 2016

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) - The 11-year-old South Carolina girl hospitalized after contracting a usually deadly brain-eating amoeba has died.

The Beaufort Gazette reports Hannah Collins died at 10:20 p.m. Friday, according to a statement from her family. The statement said, "Hannah loved life, her family and friends and, although this is not the outcome we wished for, our sweet girl has joined the angels..."
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http://www.wrdw.com/content/news/Family-friend-seeks-prayers-for-brain-eating-amoeba-patient-389271762.html

[Ronan Kelly]

Florida

NEW CASE OF NAEGLERIA FOWLERI INFECTION
AUGUST 13, 2016 BY PEGGY SCHMIDT 0 COMMENTS

The Zika virus and Naegleria Fowleri infections seem to be the main health concerns this summer. Naegleria Fowleri or the brain eating amoeba strikes again, as it made a new victim in Broward County, Florida. No information on the person?s identity has been revealed.

Mara Gambineri is the spokesperson for the Florida Department of Health. She declared the following on behalf of the institution:

?[Florida health officials have] confirmed a local case of Naegleria fowleri in an individual from Broward County. (?) At this time, we believe that the individual contracted the infection after swimming in unsanitary water on a single private property. (?)The individual is currently in the hospital receiving treatment.?
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http://www.worldreportnow.com/naegleria-fowleri-infection/4178/

[Ronan Kelly]

Fourth brain-eating amoeba case of the year being treated in Florida
POSTED 9:01 PM, AUGUST 17, 2016, BY CNN WIRE, UPDATED AT 09:07PM, AUGUST 17, 2016

An unidentified patient in Florida is being treated after being infected with a brain-eating amoeba last week, according to the Florida Department of Health. It is the fourth known case this year of infection by the parasite Naegleria fowleri.
...
The statistics are grim. There have been three other cases of Naegleria fowleri infection this year, all of them fatal. Miltefosine was requested for each of them, according to the CDC.
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http://wtvr.com/2016/08/17/fourth-brain-eating-amoeba-case-of-the-year-being-treated-in-florida/

[Ronan Kelly]

New York/ Maryland

Tests confirm rare infection caused death of 19-year-old from Kingston

By Ari?l Zangla, azangla@freemanonline.com ArielAtFreeman on Twitter
POSTED: 09/02/16, 3:39 PM EDT | UPDATED: 6 HRS AGO 0 COMMENTS
KINGSTON >> Testing at a state lab has confirmed a 19-year-old Kingston native died from a rare infection caused by an amoeba known as Naegleria fowleri, the Ulster County health commissioner said Friday.

Dr. Carol Smith said the state Department of Health?s Wadsworth Center confirmed the amoeba was present in Kerry A. Stoutenburgh?s system.

The commissioner said the amoeba was linked to Stoutenburgh?s recent trip to Maryland and is believed to have come from a warm body of fresh water in the Cecil County area. Smith said Stoutenburgh visited the Conowingo Creek and Gilpins Falls the same day she is believed to have come into contact with the amoeba.
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http://www.dailyfreeman.com/general-news/20160902/tests-confirm-rare-infection-caused-death-of-19-year-old-from-kingston?utm_content=buffer77adc&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

[Shiloh]

Source: http://gothamist.com/2016/09/12/broo...dies_after.php


Brooklyn College Student Dies From Brain-Eating Amoeba After Maryland Creek Swim
by Gaby Del Valle in News on Sep 12, 2016 4:21 pm

A 19-year-old Brooklyn College student died from a degenerative brain infection she contracted while swimming in a creek during a family vacation, the Daily Freeman reports.

Kerry Stoutenburgh was initially hospitalized on August 27th due to vomiting and persistent headaches, her father, Donald Stoutenburgh, told the Freeman. Despite being treated and released, her condition worsened and she returned to the hospital, where doctors thought she had meningitis until a spinal tap suggested otherwise. Stoutenburgh's spinal fluid was then sent to a pathologist who confirmed the presence of a rare, brain-eating amoeba, Naegleria fowleri, which causes an infection called primary amebic meningoencephalitis, that leads to the destruction of brain tissue.

Stoutenburgh died on Wednesday, August 31st, just four days after her initial hospitalization but more than four weeks after she contracted the amoeba. Donald Stoutenburgh believes the amoeba entered his daughter's system on August 20th after she jumped off a bridge into a warm body of water in Maryland while vacationing with her older sister, mother, and boyfriend...