While swimming in freshwater sources can be refreshing, it's important to be aware of the rare but deadly threat of brain-eating amoeba. This amoeba, found in warm freshwater environments, can infect the brain through nasal passages, making it crucial to avoid getting water up your nose.
On hot summer days, hitting the beach is a great way to have fun and cool off. But if you're not near the salty ocean, you might opt for swimming in a freshwater stream, river, lake or pool. These freshwater swimming holes are great, but they come with a hidden danger. While it's very rare, it can be deadly – a brain infection by a microbe widely known as the ' brain-eating amoeba '.
\ The 'brain-eating' part makes it sound like an unlikely creature of science fiction, but sadly it's a real – and potentially deadly – organism. This amoeba, commonly found in freshwaters and soil, can't survive in ocean saltwater. But it can live in warm freshwaters, rivers, hot springs, streams, pools or lakes. If you are in any doubt, it is safest to assume the amoeba is present in these water sources. You can still swim, but don't put your head under water. Take care to prevent any water entering your nose. This might be difficult for children who often engage in games, lots of splashing, and jumping or diving into the water. It may be impossible for them to do this without risking water entering their noses.\ Although the amoeba generally survives in waters in warm climates, it has infected people in heated waters in cooler environments. In 1978, a girl was fatally infected after swimming in the geothermal baths built by Romans after detection of the amoeba. The waters of the lake were artificially warm as they were used for cooling a coal-fired power station. This disease has a highly unusual infection pathway. You can't be infected by drinking contaminated water. It can only infect a person's brain through water entering their nose and nasal passages. This allows the amoeba to pass through nasal tissue and into the brain. If someone suffers these symptoms after being exposed to potentially contaminated waters, urgent medical attention is needed. Although the survival rate is less than 5%, there are rare cases where prompt medical attention can save lives.
Brain-Eating Amoeba Freshwater Swimming Naegleria Fowleri Waterborne Diseases Health Risks
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