Hundreds of people lined up this Monday in Lake Jackson, Texas, to collect bottled water distributed by the National Guard after the disaster alert declared by the governor, Greg Abbott, in several cities for the brain-eating amoeba, which has already claimed the life of a 6 year old boy earlier this month.
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality issued an advisory Friday night for Lake Jackson and seven other communities to not use tap water under any circumstances until the local system could be flushed and determined to be safe.
Despite the fact that hours later its consumption was allowed, as long as it was boiled, few still dare to do so, according to what Noticias Telemundo could verify this Monday.
National Guard distributes bottled water in Lake Jackson, Texas, after the presence of a brain-eating amoeba.Noticias Telemundo
According to a statement from the city of Lake Jackson, the boy's hospitalization was due to the amoeba
Naegleria fowleri
, popularly known as brain-eating, which was linked to two water sources that he had played with in late August before becoming ill: a water play area called the Lake Jackson Civic Center Splash Pad and a hose at his home.
Maria Castillo, the mother of Josiah McIntyre, said on Saturday that her son died on September 8 at Texas Children's Hospital in Houston from a brain-eating amoeba.
The hospital spokeswoman, Jenn Jacome, confirmed her death, but due to privacy laws she was unable to give more details about the case.
Tests by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicated that the water storage tank, as well as a fire hydrant, tested positive for the amoeba, the city said.
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The
Naegleria fowleri
is a microscopic single -
celled amoeba commonly found in fresh water and soil, according to
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC in English).
It usually infects people when contaminated water enters the body through the nose, from where it travels to the brain, and can cause a disease called primary amebic meningoencephalitis.
The CDC says that people who swim in warm fresh water are the most common victims of the amoeba, which usually enters through the nose.
[A 10-year-old girl dies after contracting the brain-eating amoeba]
"You cannot get infected by swallowing water contaminated with
Naegleria
", they specify in the guide on parasites published on their website.
Contamination of public water systems in the country by the microbe is rare but not unheard of.
According to the CDC, the first
Naegleria fowleri
deaths
found in tap water from public treated drinking water systems occurred in southern Louisiana in 2011 and 2013.
