This is very scary, My own daughter has been battling for 2 mo. She developed a rare germ. I am scared to death
She had a sinus surgery 2 mo ago.She is on the last known medicine that will cure this germ.
Her next step is a pick line into her heart. It came back with a new host.
60,000 in debt, still she is the same. I am afraid her Insurance will cancel
A 3RD VICTIM DIES. AMOEBA, BRAIN EATER FOUND IN OUR OWN WATER
judy ann
2012/08/10 14:25:11
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Brain-eating amoeba claims third victim as man dies after using tap water to clear his sinuses
By
Rachel Quigley
UPDATED:
23:14 EST, 17 August 2011
Health officials in Louisiana are
linking the June death of an unidentified man in his early 20s to the
infection that has killed a boy aged nine and a 16-year-old girl this
month.
The young man's death was traced to
the tap water he used in a neti pot, a small teapot-shaped container
used to rinse out the sinuses with salt water to relieve allergies,
colds and sinus trouble.
Tragic: Christian
Alexander Strickland, nine, from Virginia, became infected by the
parasite after he went to a fishing camp in the state.
Health officials later found the amoeba in the home's water system.
Dr.
Raoult Ratard, Louisiana's state epidemiologist, said the problem was
confined to the man's house and was not found in city water samples.
The young man had not been swimming nor been in contact with surface water, Ratard added.
Christian
Alexander Strickland, nine, from Virginia, became infected by the
parasite after he went to a fishing camp in the state.
He died from meningitis on
August 5 and health department officials confirmed that his death was
from meningitis caused by an infection by the brain-eating amoeba, known
as Naegleria fowleri.
This week, Courtney Nash, 16, from Florida, died from the same infection after swimming in a local lake.
Christian
Alexander's aunt Bonnie Strickland told the Richmond Times Dispatch:
'The doctor described it to us as such a slight chance that they didn't
even think it would be possible.'
Dr
Keri Hall, state epidemiologist at the Virginia Department of Health,
said in a statement: 'Sadly, we have had a Naegleria infection in
Virginia this summer. It's important that people be aware of … safe
swimming messages.'
Also dead: Courtney Nash, 16, from Florida, died this week after swimming in St John's Lake. her family donated her organs
Where: Locator map showing the two places in America where children were killed by the brain-eating amoeba this month
Naegleria fowleri moves into the body
through the nose and destroys brain tissue. It almost always causes
meningitis, the paper said.
WHAT IS AMOEBIC MENINGOENCEPHALITIS?
Amoebic meningoencephalitis occurs often during very hot weather and is contracted in stagnant freshwater.
The microscopic amoeba (mostly Naegleria fowleri species) are
commonly found in the upper layer of sediment in the bottom of lakes and
ponds with mud floors. They can also be found in poorly maintained
pools and hot tubs. When water temperatures hit 80 degrees, the amoeba
come out to freely circulate in the water.
The infection is
usually treated with anti-fungal medications and antibiotics. Only one
person is believed to have survived the infection since the 1970s.
The amoebas usually enter the body through the nose and attack the brain and spinal cord.
The disease progresses rapidly, usually resulting in death.
Symptoms of an infection include
headache, fever, nausea and vomiting, stiff neck, confusion, lack of
attention to people and surroundings, loss of balance and bodily
control, seizures and hallucinations.
The public is urged to contact a medical professional immediately if experiencing any of these symptoms.
Officials urge swimmers to avoid swimming in bodies of freshwater.
Those who do should wear nose plugs or hold their nose when they jump or
dive in.
The Naegleria
fowleri does not pose a threat to swimmers in local springs,
well-maintained pools and the ocean, according to the CDC. It can't be
transmitted from person to person, either.
In
the case of Courtney Nash, it is believed she was diving off a rock
with family at St John's River when she caught the disease.
Courtney's mother, Patricia Nash, said that shortly before her death, she had decided to become an organ donor.
She
told WESH that both lungs were transplanted and Courtney's liver and
pancreas were 'performing another miracle for someone else'. Her kidneys
were also being transplanted.
'I
didn't get my miracle, but she has performed other miracles. If we can
save other people's lives so they don't have to go through what I just
went though, this could be a blessing in disguise,' she said.
hmmm...???...
wonder how that got here-
She had a sinus surgery 2 mo ago.She is on the last known medicine that will cure this germ.
Her next step is a pick line into her heart. It came back with a new host.
60,000 in debt, still she is the same. I am afraid her Insurance will cancel
Last summer, a man was fishing in shallow water. He had a small scrape on his leg from getting out of his boat. Bacteria in the water entered that small scrape and within hours he was fighting for his life.
Try as we might, we cannot escape unseen and unforseen dangers that are with us every day. It is very scarey.