USA: Naegleria fowleri 2015

[Ronan Kelly]

Brain-eating amoeba kills woman in Eastern Sierra, health officials say

By VERONICA ROCHA contact the reporter

Inyo County Public Health officials believe the woman, whose name has not been released, contracted the infection on private property used by only friends and family. Residents in the area are not at risk, officials added.
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Tests by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were positive for Naegleria flowleri, a brain-eating amoeba often found in fresh water and soil. People become infected when contaminated water enters the nose, likely while swimming or diving. The infectious amoeba then travels to the brain and causes primary amebic meningoencephalitis, which is fatal.
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Over the last 53 years, 133 cases have been reported in the U.S., with only three of the infected surviving. Most cases happened in Florida and Texas. Only seven cases have been reported in California.
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http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/l...702-story.html

See 2014 and earlier reports here;
USA - Kansas records death from primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) caused by Naegleria fowleri

 

[Ronan Kelly]

Child develops brain-eating amoeba infection after swimming in Minnesota lake

Posted: Jul 07, 2015 7:09 PM EDT
Updated: Jul 07, 2015 7:43 PM EDT
by Rachel ChazinCONNECT


(KMSP) -
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) announced Tuesday that they're investigating a case of suspected primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) in a critically ill child. Health officials determined the child developed the infection after swimming at Lake Minnewaska in Pope County.

PAM is a very rare and severe brain infection caused by an ameba called Naegleria fowleri, which is most commonly found in freshwater and soil all over the world. Most cases are fatal. The infection cannot be spread from one person to another.
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http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/stor...s-rare-ameba-infection-after-swimming-in-lake

 

[Ronan Kelly]

Brain-eating amoeba didn?t cause Minnesota teen?s death, officials say
POSTED 6:54 PM, AUGUST 10, 2015, BY CNN WIRE

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. ? Bacterial meningitis killed a 14-year-old boy in Minnesota last month, not a brain-eating amoeba as some officials initially suspected.

Testing by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention determined that Hunter Boutain died from streptococcus pneumoniae that caused bacterial meningitis, the Minnesota Department of Health said Monday.

Doug Schultz, a spokesman for the department, said the teen suffered a skull fracture before he was infected ? an injury that can make a person more susceptible to meningitis.
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http://kdvr.com/2015/08/10/brain-eating-amoeba-didnt-cause-minnesota-teens-death-officials-say/

 

[Ronan Kelly]

Oklahoman dies after catching disease at Lake Murray
Posted: Aug 12, 2015 3:55 PM EDT
Updated: Aug 12, 2015 11:31 PM EDT
By: Jennifer Falsetti, Reporter


Lake Murray -
A Carter County resident has died after contracting a deadly disease while swimming in Lake Murray, according to the Oklahoma State Department of Health. The Department of Health would not release the name or age of that person, but are warning residents to take precautions when swimming in natural bodies of water.

The disease is called Primary Amebic Meningoencephalitis or PAM. The disease is very rare, and is usually deadly. According to the Department of Health, the Amoeba that carries the disease is naturally present in most lakes, ponds, and rivers, and will multiply rapidly in very warm stagnant water.
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http://www.okcfox.com/story/29772117/oklahoman-dies-after-catching-disease-at-lake-murray

Office of Communications

Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Case of Primary Amebic Meningoencephalitis (PAM) Reported

The Oklahoma State Department of Health announced today that a Carter County adult has died due to Primary Amebic Meningoencephalitis (PAM) after recently swimming in Lake Murray.

PAM is an extremely rare and usually deadly disease caused by infection with a single-celled organism (ameba), Naegleria fowleri. These disease-causing organisms are naturally present in most lakes, ponds, and rivers but multiply rapidly in very warm and stagnant water. Persons may be exposed to Naegleria fowleriameba when they dive or submerge their head in contaminated water. The ameba then travels up the nose to the brain where it destroys the brain tissue.

Symptoms of PAM initially include: high fever, headache, nausea, and vomiting. Later, symptoms may include stiff neck, seizures, hallucinations, and coma. PAM cannot be spread from person-to-person. Most occurrences of PAM occur in the southern states. Since 1998, seven cases due to PAM have occurred among Oklahomans.

This tragic death emphasizes the importance of safe swimming behaviors, especially later in the summer as the water temperatures increase. Health officials encourage Oklahomans to observe these water safety tips to avoid illness while swimming in lakes, rivers and other natural bodies of water:

Avoid forcing water up the nose when swimming, playing, jumping, diving, or dunking your head into bodies of fresh water, such as lakes and ponds. This is especially important for water that is near shore, shallow, and warm.

Hold your nose or use nose plugs when jumping or diving into water.

Never swim in stagnant water, water that is cloudy and green, water that has mats of algae, or water that has a foul odor.

Do not swim in areas posted as "No Swimming".

Avoid swallowing water from rivers, lakes, streams, or stock ponds.

Swimming in properly maintained pools prevents PAM because chlorine rapidly kills the ameba.

For more information, visit: http://www.ok.gov/health/Disease,_P...ation/Primary_Amebic_Meningoencephalitis.html.

http://www.ok.gov/triton/modules/newsroom/newsroom_article.php?id=150&article_id=16522

 

[Ronan Kelly]

Rare, Brain-Eating Amoeba Suspected in Death of San Diego Woman
San Diego resident Kelsey McClain, 24, died at Sharp Grossmont Hospital in La Mesa on Aug. 17 from a suspected case of primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM)
By Monica Garske

Updated at 9:12 PM PDT on Tuesday, Aug 25, 2015
A very rare form of meningitis caused by a brain-eating amoeba is suspected in the death of a 24-year-old San Diego woman, public health officials confirmed Tuesday.
Kelsey McClain died last week from a suspected case of primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) caused by an amoeba associated with warm freshwater, according to health officials.

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Source: http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/loc...h-Kelsey-McClain-322868881.html#ixzz3juzQQWKN
Follow us: @nbcsandiego on Twitter | NBCSanDiego on Facebook

 

[Ronan Kelly]

Houston teen being treated for Naegleria fowleri infection
Posted by Robert Herriman on August 25, 2015 //
A Houston teen who appears to have contracted the amoeba, Naegleria fowleri, after jumping in a lake at Sam Houston State Park, is currently in critical condition at Texas Children’s Hospital (TCH), according to the Miracle 4 Michael GoFundMe page.


The family of 14-year-old Michael John Riley Jr. say their child woke up with a headache and slight fever on Aug. 19, less than a week after jumping in the lake while on a church camp trip. Things got progressively worse and he was admitted to Texas Children’s Hospital (TCH) – West Campus where the diagnosis for Primary Amoebic Meningoencephalitis (PAM) was confirmed.
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http://outbreaknewstoday.com/houston...fection-72036/

Junior Olympics Track Star Michael Riley Fighting Against Brain-Eating Amoeba
By Ted Ranosa, Tech Times | August 26, 8:48 AM
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They added that Riley is now being given an experimental medication that was provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia.

The CDC said that the new drug was able to help save the life of Kali Hardig, a 12-year-old in Arkansas who contracted the Naegleria fowleri amoeba in 2013. Hardig is just one of a handful of people known to have contracted the infection and survive as the brain-eating amoeba is particularly fatal.


In the United States, three people have already died from complications of the infection.
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http://www.techtimes.com/articles/7...iley-fighting-against-brain-eating-amoeba.htm

 

[Ronan Kelly]

Teen Dies from Brain-Eating Amoeba Infection
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A teen boy has died in Texas from a rare brain-eating infection of amoebas. He probably contracted the infection while swimming in a lake about 70 miles north of Houston, according to local media.
Michael Riley Jr., 14, was a junior Olympian and honor student. He apparently became infected when he went swimming in the lake on Aug. 13 with his track team.
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http://www.youthhealthmag.com/artic...nfection-encephalitis-freshwater-swimming.htm