Fox 4 reported that a south Florida man has died from a brain-eating virus after using tap water for a sinus rinse.
Three days before the county health department issued a public alert about the virus, the individual, who was not named but was identified as a citizen of Charlotte County, passed away on February 20.
Naegleria fowleri, a tiny single-celled live amoeba, was the focus of one incident that DOH-Charlotte reported on February 23. According to the agency, illness is uncommon and may only occur when water infected with the amoeba enters the nose.
It was emphasized that drinking tap water could not cause infection.
Primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), an infection of the brain caused by the amoeba, is a condition for which no known effective treatments exist.
The CDC told Fox 4 that this is the first instance of a tap water infection in Florida and the first instance of a case being recorded during the winter in the United States. It’s also the first Naegleria fowleri infection case to be reported this year.
Almost 97% of those who contract the infection die. There have only been four confirmed cases where individuals survived the virus in the United States out of 154 known affected people between 1962 and 2021.
DOH-Charlotte said it is “continuing to investigate how this infection occurred and is working with the local public utilities to identify any potential links and make any necessary corrective actions.”
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