A child who swam in a Nebraska river over the weekend is most likely dead from a brain-eating amoeba. It would be the first death in the state's history and the second this summer.
According to the Douglas County Health Department, the child most likely contracted the primary amebic meningoencephalitis while swimming with family in eastern Nebraska on Sunday.
The child most likely died from Naegleria fowleri, a brain-eating amoeba, according to health officials.
According to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, a person in Missouri died due to the same amoeba infections. The person was swimming at the lake. The Iowa Department of Public Health decided to close the lake's beach for a few weeks.
The brain-eating amoebas thrive in warm freshwater lakes, rivers, canals and ponds and can also be found in soil. They move into the brain by entering through the nose.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people get infections when they swim in lakes and rivers.
According to the C.D.C., there were only 31 cases of brain-eating amoeba in the US from 2012 to 2021.
Most infections lead to death. There were over 100 infections in the United States over the course of 50 years. According to the C.D.C., all but four of them were dead. Texas and Florida have warm climates and are popular for water activities.
The nickname for the amoebas is derived from the way they destroy brain tissue and use the brain as a food source after being forced up the sinuses through a rush of water.
Lindsay Huse, the health director of the Douglas County Health Department, said at the news conference that the recent hot and dry weather in Nebraska made it easier for the organisms to thrive.
The likelihood of a dry spell is increased by global warming. Water availability for agriculture can be affected by higher temperatures and more precipitation falling as rain than snow.
Most infections caused by brain-eating amoeba occur in the South, but recent infections have been found farther north.
The best way to reduce the risk of infections is to limit freshwater access to the nose.
The officials did not plan to stop access to the river.
She said that people should know that there is a risk.
If you swim in the river, Dr. Huse recommends wearing nose plugs.
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