CNN
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infant in arkansas dies from cause Unusual brain-eating amoeba Health officials and the county coroner say the infection was likely transmitted at the country club’s splash pad.
Victims died from Naegleria fowlers infection, which “destructs brain tissue, causes brain swelling, and in some cases leads to death,” the Arkansas Department of Health said. news release Thursday.
Naegleria fowleri It is an amoeba that lives in soil, warm freshwater lakes, rivers, ponds, and hot springs. In rare cases, people can contract Naegleria fowleri infection from poorly chlorinated recreational water, such as pools, splash pads, and surf parks, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Naegleria fowleri infections are rare. Only about three people a year get infected in the United States, but the outcome is usually fatal. According to the CDC.
In the Arkansas case, the 16-month-old boy died on September 4 after spending several days in the hospital, Pulaski County Coroner Jerone Hobbs told CNN on Friday.
The state health department conducted tests and tests and found that the victim was likely exposed at the Little Rock Country Club’s splash pad.
Multiple samples from the pool and splash pad were sent to the CDC for evaluation, according to the release. The CDC found viable Naegleria fowleri present in one of the splash pad samples, and other samples are still pending.
Little Rock Country Club has voluntarily closed its pool and splash pad and there is no ongoing risk to the public, officials said. CNN contacted the country club but did not receive a response.
An Arkansas Department of Health spokesperson said in an email to CNN on Friday that she did not have any additional information regarding the case.
The last known case of Naegleria fowlers in Arkansas was in 2013, according to the state health department.
In 2021, a 3-year-old child died from a brain infection caused by Naegleria fowlers. Spend time at the splash pad, according to the CDC. In this incident, Texas public health officials found that the water at the splash pad was “recirculated and not adequately disinfected.”
According to the CDC, this type of amoeba enters the body through the nose, most commonly when you go swimming, diving, or when you put your head under water in freshwater bodies.
The amoeba reaches the brain and destroys brain tissue, causing an almost always fatal infection called primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM).
Naegleria fowleri infection cannot be transmitted from person to person.
According to the CDC, symptoms of PAM usually begin five days after infection, but can begin within one to 12 days.
Headache, fever, nausea, and vomiting are some of the symptoms. Subsequent symptoms may include confusion, stiff shoulders, inattention to surroundings and people, seizures, hallucinations, and coma.
Once the disease begins, it progresses rapidly and usually leads to death within about 5 days.
The CDC says the best way to prevent infection when swimming in freshwater is to avoid getting water into your nose. It has also been suggested that they avoid stirring up freshwater bottom sediments, where amoebas tend to live.
