The Amebic Meningoencephalitis in the Mohave Wash Lake Area: How a Little Boy Near a Lake Could Come across the Naegleria Fowleri Infection
Primary amebic meningoencephalitis can be caused by a single-celled amoeba, which lives in warm fresh water, and can be eaten through the nose.
The lake’s Mohave Wash area, which is located on the Arizona side of the lake near Hoover Dam, may have been where the juvenile came across the Naegleria fowleri.
This is at least the third fatal Naegleria fowleri infection in the country this year, including a child in Nebraska who died after swimming in a river and a Missouri man who contracted the infections at a beach.
Someone can become sick when the amoeba enters their nose, typically when they swim, scuba dive, or put their head underwater. It can’t cause infection if swallowed and does not spread from person to person.
An investigation by the Southern Nevada Health District determined the boy may have been exposed in early October and began developing symptoms about a week later, the district said.
Dr. Fermin Leguen, SouthernNevada district health officer, said that he sympathizes with the family of the young man. The public knows that this type of infections are extremely rare and they won’t be comforting to his family and friends.
Environmental Protection Laws for Recreational Swimming at the Lake Mead National Park in the U.S. Environmental Protection and Conservation Act (PAM)
The National Park Service will continue to allow recreational swimming at Lake Mead, according to the park’s release. U.S Public Health Service Officer Dr. Maria Said explained in a statement that the decision took into account that “the organism exists naturally and commonly in the environment but disease is extremely rare.”
That means no jumping or diving into bodies of warm fresh water, and avoid putting your head underwater in hot springs and other untreated geothermal waters.
State and local health and environmental agencies work together to take necessary corrective actions.
A fifth known survivor, a Florida teenager, has been fighting for his life since last summer and is currently raising money for his medical expenses.
Infections are more common in the Southern states during warmer months when people are more likely to swim in lakes and rivers.
They can happen when people use contaminated tap water to rinse their sinuses, or when they use an at- home cold remedy.
The first symptoms of PAM can include headache, fever, nausea and vomiting, and they typically start about five days after infection (though they can begin anywhere within one to 12 days). Strained neck is one of the symptoms that can include confusion, seizures, and coma.
Florida health officials have reiterated that Naegleria fowleri has not spread through water vapor, aerosol droplets, person-to-person transmission or drinking water.
Many people use neti pots — or nasal irrigation devices like bulb syringes and squeeze bottles — to flush out their clogged sinuses when feeling under the weather.
Use of water distilled or sterile in swimming pools, and how to protect yourself against slip-n-slides and other similar activities
Instead, use distilled or sterile water, which is sold in stores, or tap water that has been boiled for 3-5 minutes and then cooled until lukewarm (it can then be stored in a clean, closed container and used within 24 hours).
They suggest keeping plastic and inflatable pools clean by emptying them, scrubbing them, and refreshing them with chlorine before and during use.
Officials also warn not to let kids play with hoses or sprinklers unsupervised, and to avoid slip-n-slides or other similar activities where it’s hard to prevent water from getting in the nose.