After being infected with a rare brain-eating amoeba, a Florida man died.
It is noteworthy that single-celled amoebas live in warm fresh waters. Once entered through the nose, it can cause a rare but potentially fatal brain infection known as primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM).
For their part, officials in the health sector in Florida said that the infection may “be caused by inhaling aloe vera through the nose to clean the sinuses.”
The state’s Charlotte County Health Department confirmed Thursday that the man, whose identity was not revealed, had contracted Naegleria fowleri, according to NPR.
It also explained that federal and local health and environmental agencies “continue to coordinate this ongoing investigation, implement preventive actions, and take any necessary corrective actions.”
It is noteworthy that between 1962 and 2022, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention counted 157 cases of infection with the disease in the United States, with only 4 known survivors.
A fifth teenager has been in hospital since last summer, according to an online fundraising campaign by his family.
