Disaster Alert After Brain Eating Amoeba in Water System Kills

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As the pandemic wreaks havoc a new infection has emerged in the water system of the world.

A 6-year-old boy in Lake Jackson, Texas, died earlier this month from an infection caused by a brain-eating amoeba that was found in the water of splash fountain the boy had played in earlier, reports CNN.

How Did It Happen?

Josiah McIntyre was infected with a brain-eating amoeba and passed away September 8.

  • Josiah Christopher McIntyre started complaining of a headache and other symptoms around September 3, his mother Maria Castillo told CNN Monday.
  • He then developed a fever and started vomiting.
  • The next day Josiah was taken to the emergency room and was tested for flu, the pandemic, and strep, but all three were negative.
  • Castillo said she began to worry that his symptoms were not improving.
  • Finally, on September 6, Castillo took Josiah to Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, where he was admitted to the neurological intensive care unit.
  • He underwent a number of CT scans that showed swelling in the brain, which continued to worsen.
8 Texas cities were alerted to a brain-eating amoeba found in water supply

“Late Monday night or very early Tuesday morning they told us they believed it was this brain-eating amoeba,” Castillo said.

“They explained the rarity of this amoeba and that out of the few cases that there have been very little survivors and that there was no treatment.”

A Rare Fatal Amoeba Infection

The little boy was suffering from primary amoebic mengioencephalitis, which is caused by an infection of the single-celled amoeba Naegleria fowleri.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, these types of infections are rare but almost always fatal.
Josiah died on the evening of September 8, according to his mother. Castillo said once he was removed from various medical machines, his heart eventually stopped beating.
The family is doing an autopsy and the results are pending.

Josiah’s infection prompts a disaster declaration

The same day Josiah passed, eight Texas cities were alerted to a brain-eating amoeba found in the water supply, but all were cleared except the city of Lake Jackson which issued a disaster declaration.

 

8 Cities Under Alert

Residents of eight cities have been alerted that a brain-eating amoeba was found in a southeast Texas water supply, leading one of the towns to issue a disaster declaration.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality issued a water advisory to residents served by the Brazosport Water Authority warning customers not to use any water due to the presence of Naegleria fowleri, a brain-eating amoeba, found in the water supply on Friday evening.
“The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality at the direction of the Governor’s Office is working with Brazosport Water Authority to resolve the issue as quickly as possible,” the advisory reads.

Where Is This Amoeba Generally Found?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the brain-eating amoeba is commonly found in soil, warm lakes, rivers, and hot springs. It can also be found in poorly maintained or unchlorinated pools and in warm water discharge from industrial plants.
The Do Not Use Water Advisory was issued for residents of Lake Jackson, Freeport, Angleton, Brazoria, Richwood, Oyster Creek, Clute and Rosenberg, Texas, as well as for the Dow Chemical plant in Freeport and the Clemens and Wayne Scott Texas Department of Criminal Justice corrections facilities.
The TCEQ has since cleared all but one location, according to a statement on Twitter.

How Did The Infection Emerge?

The city traced Josiah’s infection back to two possible sources: a water fountain “splash pad” outside the Lake Jackson Civic Center or water emitted from a hose at Josiah’s home, according to a statement from the city.

City officials said the splash pad was immediately closed and they hired a private lab to run a test on a five-gallon water sample from the fountain.
The results came back negative on September 14 for Naegleria fowleri, and the CDC was contacted for further water testing from the splash pad.

Representatives from the Texas Department of Health Services collected water samples

from the splash pad for testing by the CDC. On September 25, three of the 11 water samples tested positive for Naegleria fowleri.

Disaster declaration issued in Lake Jackson

Lake Jackson has issued a disaster declaration and residents are still being urged to heed the Do Not Use Water Advisory until the Brazosport Water Authority has completed an adequate flush out of its water system, according to TCEQ.

TCEQ is currently testing the chlorine levels in the City of Lake Jackson’s water source and has determined it will take approximately three days to clear the system. Local residents can receive a free case of water from the city in the interim.

The CDC says that while Naegleria fowleri infections are rare most are fatal. From 2009 to 2018, only 34 infections were reported in the United States. Of those reported cases, 30 people were infected by recreational water.

According to the CDC, 145 people were infected from 1962 to 2018 and only four survived.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued a disaster declaration for all of Brazoria County on Sunday, where Lake Jackson is located.

“The state of Texas is taking swift action to respond to the situation and support the communities whose water systems have been impacted by this amoeba,” Abbott said in the press release.

“I urge Texans in Lake Jackson to follow the guidance of local officials and take the appropriate precautions to protect their health and safety as we work to restore safe tap water in the community.”

How To Stay Safe From It?

A boil water notice has been issued for the city while authorities work to disinfect the water system, according to the release.

According to the CDC, 145 people were infected with Naegleria fowleri from 1962 to 2018 and only four survived.

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Source: CNN