Almost all cases of infection with the brain-eating amoeba end up being fatal.
REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA — Sebastian Deleon was infected brain eating amoeba when he was a teenager. Although the incident occurred about six years ago, Deleon, who is now a student, still clearly remembers how bad the symptoms he felt were.
This incident began when teenager Deleon decided to swim in a lake near his home, in Weston, Florida. At that time, Deleon was 16 years old.
Deleon said, at that time he was playing cannon ball two or three times in the lake. When jumping into the water to do cannon ball, Deleon did not cover his nose. This turned out to allow the amoeba named Naegleria fowleri entered easily into his nose and infected his brain.
Shortly after, Deleon had to be hospitalized for experiencing very disturbing symptoms. The recovery process also takes years.
Naegleria fowleri is a rare amoeba which can be found in warm fresh water. Naegleria fowleri is a type of brain-eating amoeba that has claimed the lives of 150 Americans, according to data from the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Almost all cases of infection Naegleria fowleri turn off. Deleon is one of four survivors who survived and is willing to share her experience with the public to raise awareness.
What are the symptoms like?
Deleon revealed, shortly after swimming in the lake, he felt a headache. However, the headache he felt back then was different from headache normal. Not only that, the pain that appeared was so heavy that he couldn’t stand it when someone touched him.
“It felt like there was a smooth stone on my head, then someone pushed the rock down,” Deleon told Click Orlandoas reported by InsiderWednesday (10/8/2022).
Deleon also feels like riding”roller coaster” which keeps turning. And at the same time he seemed to be wearing sunglasses even though there was no scorching sun.
Knowing this, Deleon’s parents quickly believed that the headache the boy was experiencing was no ordinary headache. Therefore, Deleon’s parents swiftly took the child to the hospital the same day the symptoms appeared.
Arriving at the hospital, Dr. Humberto Liriano recognized Deleon’s symptoms as symptoms primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM). PAM is a condition associated with amoebic infection Naegleria fowleri.
This infection is quite common in Florida and Texas. Therefore, the medical team that handles Deleon already has the ability to handle this problem.
Considering how deadly this condition is, Dr. Liriano had asked the family to say goodbye to Deleon. At the same time, the team of doctors continued to do their best to save the teenager’s life.
One way is to contact the pharmaceutical company Profounda, which is the only distributor of Impavido in the United States. Impavido is a drug that has promising ability to treat PAM.
About 12 minutes after receiving the request, the son of Profounda CEO Todd McLaughlan, immediately delivered the Impavido drug himself to the hospital where Deleon was being treated. The team of doctors then medically induced Deleon into a coma to slow the progression of the infection. This will give time for the drug to work. After 72 hours, Deleon was awakened again.
Deleon was able to breathe on his own as soon as the breathing tube was removed. Deleon can also talk again a few hours after awakening.
Dr Liriano often treats PAM patients who do not survive. Therefore, he felt very emotional when he saw Deleon managed to survive such a deadly situation.
Not only heavy critical times, Deleon also had to go through a long recovery period. For Deleon, the recovery process in the first two years was quite difficult.
The reason, Deleon lost most of his motor skills due to brain swelling. This meant that Deleon had to undergo a lengthy rehabilitation to be able to return to walking, writing, or doing basic daily activities.
Deleon who is now a student majoring in criminal justice calls for more studies to be conducted on PAM. According to Deleon, children who play in lakes or waters should not face the deadly risk of the amoeba Naegleria fowleri.
