Devastated family mourning North Carolina teen killed by deadly brain-eating amoeba
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- A North Carolina teenager has died after contracting Naegleria fowleri, a rare brain-eating amoeba found in warm bodies of freshwater.
- This loss marks the second death in the United States caused by the amoeba within two months, following an eight-year-old girl’s death in Louisiana.
- Infection with Naegleria fowleri leads to primary amebic meningoencephalitis, a condition that carries a 97 percent fatality rate and usually results in death within five days.
- Officials attribute the potential rise in summer infections to record heat waves, as the amoeba thrives in elevated temperatures during July and August.
- Experts recommend avoiding warm freshwater and preventing water from rushing up the nose, the only route the amoeba takes to reach the brain.
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