6 Die From Brain-Eating Amoeba in Lakes

I prefer to pass on happy news, but when I read this article I was shocked and felt like it was something I wanted to make more people aware of. Apparently there is a heat loving amoeba that lives in lakes and dirty pool water and hot springs that can get into the human system and it eats the brain. If a person is infected with this amoeba, they do not recover. Death usually follows in a couple of weeks.

The amoeba gains access to the body via water going up into the nose. And it usually rests in the muddy, silty bottoms of the lakes. So kids are playing, stirring up the bottom, get water up their nose and they could become infected.

This is horrifying! Scientists believe that as temperatures continue to grow warmer, there will continue to be an increased number of deaths associated with this lethal amoeba. At this point, this disease is rare. Considering the numbers of people swimming in lakes and the number that actually became infected. For prevention, it is best to steer clear of algae filled areas and to wear nose plugs.

For more information on this situation, read this article at PhysOrg.com.