Jakarta –
Brain-eating amoebae took the life of a six year old boy in Texas, United States. A disaster emergency declaration was announced in Texas.
Reported AFP, Tuesday (29/9/2020), the boy died on September 8 after an infection caused by the amoeba Naegleria fowleri, a type of microscopic organism that reproduces in warm and fresh lake or river water. The amoebae also live in poorly maintained swimming pools, US media reports.
These amoebae enter the human body through the nasal membranes and penetrate the brain. Then the sufferer will experience severe migraine symptoms, hyperthermia, stiff neck and vomiting, then dizziness, extreme fatigue, confusion and hallucinations.
Tests revealed traces of amoebae in the garden hose faucet at the boy’s house, a spokesman for the town of Lake Jackson was quoted as saying by local media.
Local city official Modesto Mundo said traces of the brain-eating amoeba were also found in a fountain in the city center and on a fire hydrant in the city, which is only an hour away from the big city of Houston.
The grandparents of Josiah McIntyre, the child who died, told local media, the Houston Chronicle, that she may have been exposed to contaminated water while she was playing in a downtown water park shortly before she fell ill.
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