Horror of the 'Brain-Eating Amoeba'... Two-Year-Old Child Infected and Dies in the US

Two-Year-Old Child Dies from Infection in Nevada, USA
97% Fatality Rate... Amoeba Habitat Expands Due to Climate Change

A two-year-old child in Nevada, USA, died after being infected with the so-called 'brain-eating amoeba.'

According to CNN on the 22nd (local time), Nevada health authorities recently reported that a two-year-old child died after being infected with Naegleria fowleri, known as the 'brain-eating amoeba.'

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also confirmed the same fact. Health authorities estimated that "the child was likely exposed to the amoeba at Ash Springs, a natural hot spring in Lincoln County."

The authorities stated, "Naegleria fowleri is a tiny, single-celled living amoeba that naturally occurs in the environment," adding, "This amoeba destroys brain tissue and can cause a very serious rare brain infection called primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM)."

Naegleria fowleri was first discovered in September 1965. Although infection cases are rare, the fatality rate is quite high. When it enters the brain through a person's nose in water, it eats cells and causes swelling, leading to severe damage.

According to the CDC, there were a total of 31 infection cases in the United States between 2012 and 2021. Among 151 patients infected with Naegleria fowleri from 1962 to 2020, 147, accounting for 97.3%, died.

Naegleria fowleri, known as the 'brain-eating amoeba'
[Image source: Provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)]

Until now, most Naegleria fowleri infections occurred in the southern United States. In particular, about half of all outbreak cases were concentrated in Texas and Florida.

However, due to the impact of climate change, the habitat has expanded, and victims have been occurring continuously across the United States. The suitable temperature range for Naegleria fowleri habitation is between 25 and 46 degrees Celsius, and as global warming has raised the water temperatures of lakes and rivers, its habitat range has widened.

CDC analysis also shows that the habitat range is expanding from the South to the Midwest, and habitation has been confirmed even in northern Minnesota.

In October last year, a teenager exposed to Naegleria fowleri in a lake in Las Vegas died. Earlier in July, a woman in Iowa was reported to have been infected with the amoeba while swimming in a lake. Last summer, cases of Naegleria fowleri infection were also reported in Nebraska and Missouri in the Midwest.

Experts urge, "Although the fatality rate of Naegleria fowleri reaches 97%, 99% of cases can be prevented," advising that when swimming in warm freshwater, people should avoid diving and wear nose clips.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.