Rare brain-eating amoeba infects child swimming in California lake, officials say

An extremely rare brain-eating amoeba infected a child who was swimming in a California lake, health officials said.

A child under the age of 10 was diagnosed with primary amebic meningoencephalitis, a rare infection caused from brain-eating amoeba and known as PAM, the Tehama County Health Services Agency said.

“The most likely source of infection for this child was swimming in a freshwater lake in Tehama County,” health officials said in an Aug. 4 news release.

Health officials did not say what lake or identify the child.

The infection is extremely rare, and there have only been 10 cases reported in California since 1971, according to the health agency.

People can become infected when water containing Naegleria fowleri goes up their nose. The Naegleria fowleri is commonly known as brain-eating amoeba, and it can cause a “devastating infection,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Once the amoeba enters the nose, it travels to the brain where it causes PAM, which is usually fatal,” the CDC said. “Infection typically occurs when people go swimming or diving in warm freshwater places, like lakes and rivers.”

People who have the brain-eating amoeba cannot spread it to another person, and people don’t get it from drinking or swallowing water that contains it.

Once in the body, the amoeba can travel to the brain and destroy brain tissue, according to county health officials.

Typically, patients who discover they have been infected report having a severe headache, fever, nausea and sometimes vomiting, according to the CDC.

Eventually people can get a stiff neck and have seizures. They can also experience hallucinations or go into a coma.

Four of 148 people have been known to survive infection from the brain-eating amoeba in the U.S., according to the CDC. That includes a 16-year-old boy who was infected in 2016 and two children in 2013.

In those cases, the infection was caught early, and they were able to begin treatment quickly.

“If you or your child has had nasal exposure to warm, freshwater in the last 10 days and develop symptoms such as severe headache, fever, nausea, or vomiting, consult a doctor right away,” county health officials said. “Someone exposed to water contaminated with the amoeba but is not experiencing symptoms after 10 days is probably not infected.”

The only way to fully prevent infection from brain-eating amoeba is to avoid swimming in freshwater, health officials said. You could reduce the risk by holding your nose or using a nose clip while going under water, or by keeping your head above water at all times.

This story was originally published August 10, 2021 at 2:28 PM with the headline "Rare brain-eating amoeba infects child swimming in California lake, officials say."