A nine year old boy has died of an infection caused by amoebas according to the Richmond Times Dispatch
:
Her [Dr. Keri Hall] department received results from an autopsy Friday that confirmed the cause of death as primary amoebic meningoencephalitis, which is caused by Naegleria fowleri. She said the amoebas, which swim up the nose and enter the brain, live in freshwater bodies around the world.
Hall’s department has not tested area lakes, ponds and rivers where Christian spent time with a fishing camp the week before his death. Her department will “probably” do testing at various ponds and lakes in the region, but she said she doesn’t know when the tests will be conducted and doesn’t expect the sampling to be “particularly helpful.”
The amoebas are particularly prevalent in shallow, still water during warm weather. But since Christian died, temperatures have dropped, and the amoeba population likely has fallen off as a result, Hall said.
The parents said that the child had attended a fishing camp for children. The Virginia Health Department might not ever learn where the child picked up the fatal amoeba. The department advises against swimming in ponds and lakes or anywhere the water is not moving.
