Fatal case of Naegleria fowleri infection reported from Central VA

[Ronan Kelly]

Deadly Waterborne Illness Reported in Central VA
Posted: Aug 14, 2011 7:02 PM EDT

Lynchburg, VA - An extremely rare waterborne illness has been reported in Central Virginia.

Naegleria fowleri is a parasite that can travel up the nose, to the brain and cause an almost always fatal form of meningitis.

Flu-like symptoms set in within two weeks of being exposed. They include headache, fever, nausea and vomiting. Health officials say death usually occurs 7 to 14 days after being infected.

Keri Hall, the state's Director of Epidemiologist says it thrives in hot, stagnant bodies of freshwater, like rivers, lakes and ponds. She says infections are extremely rare; only 32 have been reported in the US from 2001 to 2010.

Health officials cannot talk about the latest case, other than that it was confirmed in the Central Health Region of Virginia. The last one confirmed in the state was in 1969.

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http://www.wset.com/story/15265085/deadly-waterborne-illness-reported-in-central-va

 

[Ronan Kelly]

Re: Case of Naegleria fowleri infection reported from Central VA

Re: Case of Naegleria fowleri infection reported from Central VA

Second Death this Month Caused by Deadly Parasite

By MIKAELA CONLEY and COURTNEY HUTCHISON
Aug 16, 2011
A second child died this month from a deadly parasite that grows in stagnant waters, health officials confirmed Tuesday.

Bonnie Strickland, the aunt of 9-year-old Christian Alexander Strickland, told the Richmond Times-Dispatch that her nephew died Aug. 5 from amoebic meningoencephalitis, a deadly parasitic infection that attacks the brain and spine, after attending a fishing camp.

"The doctor described it to us as such a slight chance that they didn't even think it would be possible," Strickland told the newspaper.

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http://abcnews.go.com/Health/state-reports-rare-parasitic-illness/story?id=14318389