Tragic Death in South Carolina Children’s Hospital

A patient has sadly passed away at a children’s hospital in South Carolina due to a brain-eating amoeba, as reported by the facility.

In a briefing on Tuesday, Prisma Health Children’s Hospital-Midlands confirmed that the cause of death was primary amebic meningoencephalitis, or PAM, which is a rare but frequently fatal brain infection linked to the Naegleria fowleri organism.

The hospital did not provide further details about the patient.

The South Carolina Department of Public Health indicated that the exposure likely happened at Lake Murray. However, officials admitted they can’t be entirely sure. This incident marks the first recorded case in the state since 2016.

Dr. Anna-Kathryn Burch, a pediatric infectious disease physician at the hospital, emphasized the severity of these infections, stating that most cases in the U.S. end tragically.

“More than 97% of reported cases since the 1960s have resulted in death,” she noted.

Burch explained that these infections typically occur when water, under pressure, enters the nose and reaches the brain. This can happen during recreational activities in warm freshwater environments like lakes, rivers, and hot springs where the amoeba is known to thrive.

To help minimize the risk, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends pinching your nose or using a nose clip when jumping into freshwater or, alternatively, keeping your head above water in hot springs.

It’s important to note that Naegleria fowleri infections aren’t contracted by swallowing contaminated water or through contact with someone infected.

This isn’t the first instance of Naegleria fowleri-related fatalities in the U.S. this year.

A Texas woman died earlier after contracting an infection from using tap water in her RV with a nasal irrigation device, according to health officials.

The previously healthy 71-year-old experienced serious symptoms such as fever, headache, and altered mental status just four days after the nasal rinse, as described in a CDC report. Despite medical intervention for what was suspected to be a PAM infection, she suffered seizures and passed away eight days after her symptoms began.