US: Brain-eating amoeba kills 2-year-old in Nevada. Check symptoms, key details

Tragedy struck this week as a 2-year-old boy lost his life to a rare and deadly infection caused by a brain-eating amoeba. The Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health (DPBH) and a heart-wrenching Facebook post from the child's mother confirmed this devastating news.

The DPBH disclosed that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) verified Naegleria fowleri, commonly known as a brain-eating amoeba, as the culprit behind the boy's severe illness and subsequent demise.

The investigation led by state officials pointed towards a possible exposure to the amoeba at Ash Springs, a natural hot spring situated on federal land in Lincoln County.


Centers of Disease Control Prevention provides more information to this writing that it is rare brain infection that is caused by Naegleria fowleri and is usually fatal. It adds that "Naegleria fowleri is a free-living ameba".

Furthermore, it provides the early symptoms may include headache, fever, nausea, and vomiting. As the disease advances, more severe symptoms emerge, such as a stiff neck, confusion, lack of awareness of people and surroundings, seizures, hallucinations, and eventually, coma. Once symptoms begin, the disease rapidly progresses, often leading to death within approximately 5 days, though the range can extend from 1 to 18 days.

FAQs
Q1. How does Naegleria fowleri enter the body?
A1. Naegleria fowleri typically enters the body through the nose when people swim or dive in warm freshwater bodies. The amoeba can then travel up the nose to the brain, where it can cause an infection.

Q2. What is Naegleria fowleri?
A2. Naegleria fowleri is a free-living amoeba that can cause a rare and deadly brain infection called primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), as noted by CDC.