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(News)
– A Texas child has died from a brain-eating amoeba, and now several local play areas are closed due to fears over the amoeba’s origins. According to a statement cited by CNN, Tarrant County Public Health and the City of Arlington were informed on September 5 that the child, whose identity is withheld for confidentiality reasons, had been hospitalized with meningitis. Primary amebic encephalitis. The disease is a rare infection caused by Naegleria fowleri, a microscopic organism that can be found in warm lakes, rivers and puddles, as well as in untreated swimming pools, municipal water and soil, among other sources.
According to the statement, a Tarrant County public health investigation narrowed down possible sources of amoeba at the child’s home or at Arlington’s Don Misenhimer Park, which has a children’s play area. On September 24, water samples taken from this playground revealed the presence of N. fowleri, and it was “determined that the Arlington site was the likely source of the child’s exposure.” The child died on September 11.
The CDC notes that the organism enters a patient’s body after water enters their nose. From there, the amoeba travels from the nose to the brain, where it then feeds on brain tissue. The agency emphasizes that you cannot get infected by drinking contaminated water. Arlington officials have shut down the Don Misenhimer water fountain, as well as the city’s other public fountains, at least until the end of 2021 “out of caution.” City officials will investigate the waterjet equipment, as well as water quality maintenance and inspection protocols, in which “gaps” were found, according to the report. Deputy City Manager Lemuel Randolph. (Read more stories of brain-eating amoebae.)
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