A Nevada body died from a brain-eating amoeba he might have contracted at Lake Mead/Jim Burnett file

In the wake of the death of a Nevada boy from a brain-eating amoeba, National Park Service officials are alerting the public to the possibility that the amoeba lurks in an area of Lake Mead National Recreation Area.

The Park Service issued a release to that effect after the Southern Nevada Health District confirmed the death of a Clark County juvenile from an infection of Naegleria Fowleri, or a brain-eating amoeba. 

The youth might have been exposed to the organism the weekend of September 30 in the Kingman Wash area of Lake Mead National Recreation Area, the release said. This is the first confirmed fatality caused by Naegleria Fowleri exposure at Lake Mead National Recreation Area. 

Naegleria fowleri is commonly found in bodies of warm freshwater, such as lakes and rivers, and geothermal water, such as hot springs. The amoeba infects people by entering the body through the nose and traveling to the brain. It cannot infect people if swallowed and is not spread from person to person. The infection is extremely rare, and almost always fatal. 

“The National Park Service, working with the NPS Office of Public Health, has made the decision to continue to allow recreational swimming at Lake Mead National Recreation Area as the organism exists naturally and commonly in the environment but disease is extremely rare,” said Dr. Maria Said, U.S Public Health Service Officer. “However, recreational water users should always assume there is a risk anytime they enter warm fresh water.” 

Infection with the amoeba causes primary amebic meningoencephalitis, a brain infection that initially includes headache, fever, nausea, or vomiting, and progresses to stiff neck, seizures, and coma that can lead to death. Symptoms usually begin about five days after infection but can start within one to 12 days. Once symptoms start, the disease progresses rapidly and usually causes death within about five days.   

The amoeba is naturally occurring, and there is no routine test for Naegleria fowleri. Previous water testing has shown that it is regularly found in freshwater bodies, and though the risk is low, recreational water users should always assume there is a risk when they enter warm fresh water and take precaution. 

Recommended precautions from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention include:  

• Avoid jumping or diving into bodies of warm freshwater, especially during the summer. 
• Hold your nose shut, use nose clips, or keep your head above water when in bodies of warm fresh water.  
• Avoid putting your head underwater in hot springs and other untreated geothermal waters.  
• Avoid digging in, or stirring up, the sediment in shallow warm fresh water.  

You can find more information about Naegleria fowleri at this website.