The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services confirmed on August 31 that a teenager died from a rare disease caused by the single-celled organism Naegleria fowleri. This amoeba is usually found in warm freshwater.
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It turned out that the deceased teenager was Moises Ponce Mendoza. His mother Monica Mendoza publicly spoke about her son’s illness. In an online fundraising campaign, she said that her son was active and enjoyed life, but due to a severe infection, he was hospitalized and fell into a coma.
Initially, severe headache appeared
The teenager’s health deteriorated on August 21. According to the mother, she took her son to a hospital in Burlington due to a severe headache. However, after a brief doctor’s examination, the boy was sent home.
His condition soon worsened significantly. The next morning, the mother rushed with her son to the emergency department of the University of North Carolina hospital.
Tests there revealed that the teenager was infected with Naegleria fowleri. This amoeba can enter the human body through the nose, travel to the brain, and cause severe inflammation and damage.
From that moment, as the mother recounted, family life completely changed. The boy fell into a coma, was intubated, and doctors tried to save his life. However, his condition was too severe.
Dangerous when water enters the nose
Naegleria fowleri is most commonly found in warm lakes, rivers, and ponds. North Carolina health specialists emphasized that it is not present in saltwater or properly maintained and chlorinated pools.
The amoeba is also not dangerous if water is swallowed. The threat arises when contaminated water enters the nose. This can happen while diving, jumping into water, water skiing, or engaging in other activities where water forcefully enters the nasal cavity.
From the nose, the amoeba can reach the brain and cause primary amebic meningoencephalitis. This is a rare but very rapidly progressing central nervous system infection.
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The disease can claim life within a few days
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the first symptoms of infection can be severe headache, fever, nausea, and vomiting. Later, neck stiffness, seizures, impaired consciousness may occur, and the patient may fall into a coma.
The disease usually progresses very rapidly and can claim a person’s life in about five days. More than 97% of those infected die.
In the United States, fewer than ten such infection cases are usually diagnosed per year. They are mostly recorded during prolonged hot weather when the temperature of freshwater bodies rises.
This is the second child death in a short time
Moises’s story received significant attention after an eight-year-old Louisiana resident, Lillian Smart, recently died from the same infection. It is believed that the girl may have been infected while swimming in Lake Claiborne.
She died on August 23, eight days after being admitted to the hospital.
Scientists warn that with climate change, Naegleria fowleri is being found in US territories where it was not previously common. It is observed that the heat-loving amoeba is gradually spreading from southern states to the central regions of the country.
Health specialists advise keeping the head above water when swimming in warm freshwater bodies, using nose clips, or pinching the nose when diving. It is also recommended to avoid jumping and diving in shallow, warmed areas.
One should not stir up bottom sediments, as the amoeba is more often found in warm water near the bottom. Caution is also advised in hot springs and thermal waters.
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