According to health officials, a Nevada-born boy died from a rare and often fatal brain infection that he contracted while swimming in the lake.
According to the report, the boy, whose identity remains unknown, visited Lake Mead in the eastern portion of October. The Southern Nevada Health District.
The boy began to develop symptoms of an uncommon illness that is caused by Naegleria fowleri — an organism commonly known as a “brain-eating”Amoeba is a brain-destructing parasite that attacks and kills brain tissue According to the CDC.
The Southern Nevada Health District said Wednesday that exposure to Naegleria fowleri causes a disease called primary amebic meningoencephalitis — a meningitis-like infection that targets the brain and is usually fatal.
According to the CDC, the infection is also common in boys under 14 years old for unknown reasons.
According to the CDC the symptoms of the disease include headaches, fever and nausea. Later, the stiff neck, seizures, hallucinations and coma can be seen.
The symptoms usually appear within five days of exposure, but may persist for up to 12 days in rare cases. According to the CDC.
According to the agency, the disease progresses rapidly and can cause death in as little as five days. The boy’s symptoms began about a week after visiting Lake Mead, and following an investigation conducted by the health district and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Naegleria fowleri was confirmed as the boy’s cause of death, according to the officials.
According to the National Park Service, the amoeba occurs naturally in freshwater — especially in warm bodies with low elevation — and has been found before in Lake Mead.
“My condolences go out to the family of this young man,”In a statement, Dr. Fermin Léguen, Southern Nevada’s district health officer, said. “While I want to reassure the public that this type of infection is an extremely rare occurrence, I know this brings no comfort to his family and friends at this time.”
The CDC reported 154 cases of Naegleria fowleri infection in the United States between 1962 and 2021. At least 31 of these cases were documented over the past 10 years. Nearly all of those cases were fatal.
This boy’s death is not the first of the disease in the state. However, there have been at least two other cases in 2022. There was one case where the patient had to be admitted after swimming in an Iowa lake and another in which a child drowned after swimming through a Nebraska river.
“The National Park Service, working with the NPS Office of Public Health, has made the decision to continue to allow recreational swimming at Lake Mead National Recreation Area as the organism exists naturally and commonly in the environment but disease is extremely rare,”Dr. Maria Said is a U.S. Public Health Service Officer.National Parks Traveler.
“However, recreational water users should always assume there is a risk anytime they enter warm fresh water,”Said.
The CDC recommends people to:
- Avoid jumping into warm, fresh water.
- When swimming in these areas, keep your nose shut. You can use nose clips to secure your nose.
- Avoid putting your head in untreated hot springs.
- Do not dig up any sediment in warm and shallow freshwater.