An extremely rare illness caused by a freshwater amoeba had claimed the life of a second child in the United States. Fox News reported, on August 17, that nine year old Christian Strickland died of primary amoebic meningoencephalitis on August 5th. The death of this Virginia native comes on the heals of the death of 16 year old Courtney Nash, a Florida girl, the week before from the same illness.
The Centers for Disease Control report that the Naegleria fowleri amoeba can be found in warm fresh water virtually everywhere. This parasite enters the body when people get water in their nose, through swimming or diving in lakes and rivers. The CDC also suggests that there may be a risk with the holistic medical practice of nasal flushing, such as neti pots, and other exposures to untreated freshwater.
The risk for this infection is extremely low. The CDC has 32 reported infections in the period 2001 to 2010 nationwide. Only two of these cases were not traced back to swimming and diving. In a similar ten year period, there were 36,000 drowning deaths.
According to the CDC, primary amoebic meningoencephalitis is almost always fatal. Because the illness is so rare, testing may take months, and the effectiveness of treatments is poor. Symptoms are:
sudden onset of fever, headache, stiff neck, and vomiting
The CDC points out that these same symptoms are those of many more common illnesses, including meningitis.
Monroe Count and the metropolitan area of Rochester, New York, is blessed with several beaches on the south shore of Lake Ontario. Water quality has long been an issue at all the beaches and they often suffer closures during the swimming season. Naegleria fowleri in the water is not a reason for closure. The most common reasons are algae or E. coli found in water samples.
Durand Eastman Beach is operated by the City of Rochester. Information on its current water quality can be found by calling 585-428-7888 or 509-8543.
Ontario Beach Park is located at the mouth of the Genesee River. Monroe County provides water quality information by calling 585-753-5887.
New York State operated Hamlin Beach State Park, located between Buffalo and Rochester on the Lake Ontario shoreline. It has a number of swimming areas but lifeguard hours are limited. The Park can be reached at 585-964-2462.
The risk of catching primary amoebic meningoencephalitis in local waters is very, very low. Other waterborne illnesses and water accidents are a far greater threat for swimmers. That is especially true for those people who choose to swim at closed beaches or those without lifeguards.
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