A North Carolina teen has died after contracting a rare brain-eating amoeba.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services confirmed the teen’s death from Naegleria fowleri to WSOC. Their identity was not released.
In the initial news release, issued on Aug. 27, the teen was listed as “critically ill and receiving medical care.” The agency was trying to find the source of the amoeba.
“Naegleria fowleri is naturally present in warm freshwater like ponds, lakes and rivers. It is not found in salt water or in properly maintained and chlorinated pools. The amoeba does not cause illness if swallowed but can be fatal if water with the amoeba in it is forced up the nose into the brain, which can occur by jumping into water, diving, water-skiing or other water activities,” the agency said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that brain infections caused by the single-celled organism are rare, but when they do happen, they are nearly always fatal.
From 1962 to 2024, there had been 167 reported cases of primary amebic meningoencephalitis, or PAM. Of those cases, only four people survived, the CDC said.
Symptoms include headaches, fever, nausea and vomiting, which can advance to stiff neck and confusion, lack of attention to people and surroundings, loss of balance and hallucinations. It can progress quickly, with people succumbing to PAM from one to 18 days after symptoms start. It typically leads to coma and then death within five days, according to the CDC.