By I. Edwards HealthDay Reporter<\/b>
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MONDAY, July 28, 2025 (HealthDay News) \u2014 A 12-year-old South Carolina boy has died after being infected by a rare, brain-eating amoeba found in freshwater, his family\u2019s lawyer said.<\/p>\n
Middle school student Jaysen Carr died July 18 after swimming in Lake Murray, a large reservoir near Columbia, S.C., according to a Facebook post<\/a> from the law office of Tyler D. Bailey.<\/p>\n Doctors from Prisma Health Children\u2019s Hospital<\/a> in South Carolina confirmed that Jaysen was infected by Naegleria fowleri<\/em>, a microscopic organism that lives in warm freshwater and can cause a deadly brain infection.<\/p>\n Dr. Anna-Kathryn Burch<\/a> of Prisma Health Children\u2019s Hospital explained at a press briefing that the amoeba is \u201cubiquitous to any fresh water in the state of South Carolina\u201d and common throughout the Southeastern U.S., according to The New York Times.<\/em><\/p>\n As temperatures rise and water levels drop during summer, the risk of exposure increases.<\/p>\n The infection is nearly always fatal, although it is extremely rare, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<\/a> (CDC). In all, 167 cases were reported in the U.S. from 1962 to 2024. Just four people survived.<\/p>\n Most people who come into contact with Naegleria fowleri<\/em> never get sick. The amoeba can only infect a person when contaminated water goes up the nose, often during swimming or diving. It then travels to the brain, where it destroys brain tissue.<\/p>\n Once in the brain, the amoeba causes a disease called primary amebic meningoencephalitis<\/a> (PAM), the CDC says, which progresses quickly. Early symptoms can include:<\/p>\n Headache<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Fever<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Vomiting<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Nausea<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n Although rare, Naegleria fowleri<\/em> has caused other deaths in recent years.<\/p>\n In 2022, a child died after swimming in a Nebraska river. In 2020, a 6-year-old boy died after playing in a splash pad or using a water hose on Texas\u2019 Gulf Coast, The Times <\/em>said.<\/p>\n Before that, a North Carolina man died after visiting a local water park.<\/p>\n And in 2018, a New Jersey man died after visiting a different Texas water park.<\/p>\n Splash pads and water parks are usually safe if water is chlorinated properly, according to the CDC.<\/p>\n The amoeba has also been linked to nasal rinsing with unsafe water. Earlier this year, a 71-year-old woman died after using tap water<\/a> from an RV for nasal irrigation.<\/p>\n The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advises using only boiled, distilled or sterile water in neti pots and other nasal rinse devices.<\/p>\n More information<\/strong><\/p>\n The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on Naegleria fowleri<\/a><\/em> infections<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n