• Toddler died after swimming in the Elkhorn River in eastern Nebraska on August 8.
• Medical professionals suspect he contracted primary amebic meningoencephalitis.
• a typically fatal ailment sometimes known as the “brain-eating amoeba”.

After swimming in a river, a child in the US presumably contracted a rare infection brought on by a brain-eating amoeba, which ultimately led to death.

The unnamed toddler went swimming in the Elkhorn River in eastern Nebraska on August 8 and started experiencing symptoms five days later.

The boy was admitted to the hospital within 48 hours of the commencement of symptoms, and the Douglas County Health Department reports that he passed away 10 days later.

Medical professionals suspect the boy died of primary amebic meningoencephalitis, a typically fatal ailment brought on by naegleria fowleri, sometimes known as the “brain-eating amoeba,” according to health officials who spoke at a press conference on Thursday.

Dr. Lindsay Huse, the director of the Douglas County Health Department, stated that tests are being carried out by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to determine the infection’s root cause.

According to the state’s Department of Health and Human Services, if confirmed, this would be Nebraska’s first ever naegleria fowleri death.

In a statement, Dr. Huse expressed his heartfelt condolences to the family, saying, “We can only imagine the devastation the family must be feeling, and our deepest condolences are with them,”

“We can honour the memory of the child by becoming educated about the risk and then taking steps to prevent infection.”

A single-celled creature called Naegleria fowleri can be found in soil and warm freshwater environments including hot springs, lakes, and rivers.

Because it can infect the brain when amoebic water enters the nose, it is frequently referred to as the “brain-eating amoeba.”

The CDC states that while infections are relatively rare, people who contract them typically pass away.

Only four people survived the 154 primary amebic meningoencephalitis infections that occurred in the US between 1962 and 2021, a period of nearly six decades.

As air and water temperatures have risen in recent years, the amoeba has been more frequently discovered in northern regions.

When swimming in warm, fresh water, Dr. Huse advised using nostril plugs.

“Right now, we are simply urging the public to be aware and take precautions when they are being exposed to any warm, fresh water sources,” she said.

It is impossible to contract the virus by ingesting water.

After most likely swallowing the amoeba at a lake in southwest Iowa, a Missourian passed away in July.

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