Arkansas officials say person dies after brain-eating amoeba infection, likely exposed at splash pad

SeaJ@lemm.ee to News@lemmy.world – 184 points –
Arkansas officials say person dies after brain-eating amoeba infection, likely exposed at splash pad
apnews.com
32

Dang that stuff should only be in natural fresh water spots, how badly maintained was that splash pad to be infected with this?

It can also survive in hot water heaters, it's why you should always use distilled water (or boiled water) for shit like neti pots, since the only attack surfaces that N.fowlri has is in the upper sinuses.

In reality, though, this shit is exceedlying rare, particularly in cold climates. Even in the south, it is extremely rare.

Here's a good video on it if you are interested. Once again, it is very rare, like, less than 100 people get it in a year in the US.

https://youtu.be/7OPg-ksxZ4Y?si=eTGQ2vnxR0JqwYh_

Even where it is found, dozens of people could swim in the same water, and only one gets it.

Doesn't it have to go up your nose or something? Direct contact with an eyeball?

They are pretty small so unless there's billions of them in the water body it's probably pretty unlikely that it actually gets to where it needs to be to infect someone.

The article says that it can be found in inadequately chlorinated pools, too.

Shouldn't a splash pad use chlorinated water? That's always been my assumption.

This is why I pretty much never jump into water - the force of it shoots the amoebas up your nose. Definitely avoid (forcefully) dunking your head in warm water.😬

It is exceedlying rare. You are more likely to die in a car accident or even a train accident, lol. If you are worried, just get a nose clip. The only attack surface they have is in the upper nose. You can (and probably have) been drinking water with N. Fowlri in it with no problem since you were little.

You're literally exponentially more likely to die driving to the water than from brain-eating amoeba in the water.