AI Generated Image
Teen in North Carolina dies from brain-eating amoeba infection
USA Today • • health
Key Points:
- A North Carolina teenager, Moises Ponce Mendoza, died on August 31 from a rare brain infection caused by the Naegleria fowleri amoeba, which is commonly found in warm freshwater.
- The infection, primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), occurs when contaminated water enters the nose, allowing the amoeba to reach the brain; it is extremely rare and usually fatal, with a death rate over 97%.
- Symptoms begin with severe headache, fever, nausea, and vomiting, progressing rapidly to stiff neck, seizures, coma, and typically death within about five days after symptom onset.
- Health officials advise precautions such as holding the nose or using nose clips when swimming in warm freshwater, avoiding stirring up sediment, and using distilled or boiled water for nasal rinsing to reduce infection risk.
- This case follows a similar recent death of an 8-year-old in Louisiana, highlighting ongoing concerns about Naegleria fowleri infections linked to freshwater exposure.
