A child in North Texas has died from a rare brain-eating amoeba after visiting a splash park, and Arlington city officials now admit that there was lapse in the park’s daily inspection program and feel “personally responsible,” according to a published report.
“It’s completely unacceptable and it’s devastating. Daily inspections were not occurring regularly at least two of the splash pads, either they weren’t recording their results or they simply weren’t going,” Arlington Deputy City Manager Lemuel Randolph told CBS Dallas Forth-Worth News reported.
Unidentified child was admitted to Cook County Medical Center for primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) on Sept. 5. This rare and sometimes fatal infection is caused by Naegleria Fowleri amoeba. That same day city officials in Arlington and Tarrant County Health were notified and began to investigate closing all the city’s public splash pads, NBC News reported.
On Friday, water samples were taken from the Don Misenhimer Park splash pad confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) the presence of the deadly amoeba in the water, and determined that the Arlington site was the likely source of the child’s exposure, according to reports.
Inspection logs at the Don Misenhimer splash pad revealed water chlorination readings were not documented on two of the three dates that the child was there in late August and early September, city officials said, NBC reported.
Arlington‘s chief epidemiologist Russ Jones told CBSDFW that the Naegleria fowleri amoeba is a bacteria that thrives in water that’s recirculated.
“When they recirculate it, there really needs to be two different types of disinfection to prevent this from happening,” Jones stated.
Officials said Arlington’s drinking water supply was never impacted, a report said.
In the meantime, the city’s splash pads will remain closed for the remainder of the year, a report said.
CBSFDW reported that Arlington Mayor Jim Ross was shocked to hear the news. “It breaks my heart. I’m a father of 4. I’m a grandfather of 5 kids from 2 to 7 years old. I cannot imagine having to bury a child or grandchild like that,” He said.
According to the CDC, the risk of N. fowleri is low. Only 34 cases have been reported in the United States between 2010-2019. Experts in health say that children can safely play in splash pads if they are kept clean and maintained properly.
A parent who frequently visits the Don Misenhimer Park splash pad with her young son was visibly upset upon hearing the news by a reporter from CBSDFW.
“I had no idea. It is very shocking and sad because there are so many kids that come here and so many families that depend on this,” She said.
According to the CDC, only one species-type of Naegleria infects people and that is Naegleria fowleri. It is usually transmitted to people through their noses when contaminated drinking water enters the body.
Naegleria fowleri is a single-celled living organism, that is commonly found in warm freshwater lakes, rivers, and hot springs.
Their website stated that in rare cases, people may become infected by warm water from a swimming pool that has not been properly treated with chlorine.
“Once the amoeba enters the nose, it travels to the brain where it causes PAM, which is usually fatal,” According to the CDC.
PAM symptoms include severe headaches, nausea and vomiting. As the infection progresses, patients can experience stiffness in their necks and hallucinations. According to the CDC, the disease can progress quickly and often causes death within five days.