All articles tagged with #freshwater lakes
An 8-year-old Louisiana girl died after likely contracting Naegleria fowleri from swimming in Lake Claiborne. The brain-eating amoeba infects via the nose and is almost always fatal, with fewer than 10 U.S. deaths per year and very few survivors; protection tips include nose clips, avoiding shallow waters, and keeping the head above water in hot springs.
A resident of Georgia has died from a rare brain-eating amoeba known as Naegleria fowleri, likely contracted while swimming in a freshwater lake or pond. The amoeba, which destroys brain tissue and causes brain swelling, is naturally occurring in warm freshwater bodies and cannot infect people if swallowed or spread from person to person. Symptoms include severe headache, fever, nausea, and vomiting, progressing to a stiff neck, seizures, and coma. Health officials advise limiting water going up the nose while swimming to reduce the risk of infection. This is the sixth case of infection in Georgia since 1962.