Nevada Boy Dies From Brain-Eating Amoeba After Possible Exposure at Lake Mead

A Nevada boy died Wednesday after he developed an “extremely rare” infection brought on by a brain-eating amoeba generally known as Naegleria fowleri, in keeping with state health officials, who imagine he could have been exposed to the microorganism on the Arizona-side of Lake Mead. The boy reportedly began showing symptoms, which may begin with a headache and fever and end in a coma, every week after he visited the dwindling lake in early October. “My condolences exit to the family of this young man,” said Clark County’s district health officer, Dr. Fermin Leguen, in a press release. “While I would like to reassure the general public that this kind of infection is a particularly rare occurrence, I do know this brings no comfort to his family and friends at the moment.” Naegleria fowleri, which enters the body through the nose, could be present in warm, fresh water and the soil and sediment around it, similar to in hot springs and unmaintained swimming pools.