Durham water feature identified as likely source of fatal amoeba infection
North Carolina health officials have identified a water feature at the El Futuro community center in Durham as the most likely source of a fatal Naegleria fowleri infection that killed 17-year-old Moises Ponce Mendoza. Mendoza visited the center on August 13, 2026, and died on August 31. The feature was closed on August 28 after testing positive for the amoeba. While investigators could not conclusively prove the exposure site, environmental and epidemiological evidence points to the water feature as the probable cause.
