By Minyvonne Burke —
NBC News
A Florida man died from a
brain-eating
amoeba that he may have contracted after rinsing his sinuses with tap water, health authorities said.
The Florida Department of Health in Charlotte County said in a February 23 news release that it is continuing to investigate the cause of the Naegleria
fowleri infection.
The patient has not been publicly identified.
N. fowleri
is a single-celled organism that can be found in soil and freshwater throughout the world.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it grows best at high temperatures, so infections are usually in summer.
Most are produced by bathing in warm lakes or rivers.
Nebraska boy believed to have been killed by 'brain-eater' amoeba
Aug 19, 202200:29
In general,
these infections are very rare
and only occur when contaminated water enters the sinuses.
"You can NOT get the infection by drinking tap water"
, underlines the Department of Health in its statement.
The agency urged people to
use distilled or sterile water
to rinse their sinuses.
"Tap water should be boiled for at least one minute and cooled before rinsing the sinuses," the statement said.
There were three cases of N. fowleri
last year
, according to the CDC, which occurred after exposure to freshwater in Iowa, Nebraska and Arizona.
Cases were also reported in 2019, 2020 and 2021.
Severe turbulence injures several passengers on a plane.
In another a retired firefighter put out a fire
March 2, 202300:43
The Iowa case from last year was a Missouri resident who became infected while swimming in the Lake of Three Fires in Taylor County in June.
Iowa Lake was temporarily closed over the case.
In Nebraska, a Douglas County boy went swimming in the Elkhorn River in August and was subsequently hospitalized and died 10 days later.
Symptoms of this infection include headaches, fever, nausea, loss of balance, disorientation, seizures, and a stiff neck.
The disease progresses rapidly after the onset of symptoms, and patients usually die in 18 days or less.