NC teen’s brain-eating amoeba death linked to community center water feature

A 17-year-old North Carolina boy died from a Naegleria fowleri (brain-eating amoeba) infection, with investigators citing a water feature at the El Futuro community center in Durham County as the most likely exposure source. The feature was closed Aug. 28 and later showed Naegleria fowleri DNA in its storage tank (non-viable), though investigators could not conclusively confirm where exposure occurred. The center is cooperating with public health officials. Naegleria infections are extremely rare and typically fatal, occurring when contaminated warm freshwater enters the nose.