(Trends Wide) — A boy died earlier this month in north Texas after contracting a rare brain-eating amoeba from a recreational water source in a park, authorities said Monday.
The boy was hospitalized Sept. 5 with primary amoebic meningoencephalitis, a rare and often fatal infection caused by an amoeba named Naegleria fowleri, according to a joint news release from Tarrant County Public Health and the City of Arlington. The boy died on September 11. No further details about him were released to preserve his identity, according to the press release.
Naegleria fowleri is commonly found in soil and warm-temperature freshwater such as lakes, rivers, and hot springs, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It can also be found in pools without chlorine or that are poorly maintained.
The organism infects people when water containing the amoeba enters the body through the nose, according to the CDC. The amoeba Naegleria fowleri then travels through the nose to the brain, where it destroys brain tissue.
They investigate what was the source of infection
The hospital notified city and county officials on Sept. 5 of the boy’s condition, according to the news release. The county health department launched an investigation and determined two possible sources of amoeba exposure: the family’s home in Tarrant County and a recreational water source at Don Misenhimer Park in Arlington.
The city immediately closed that area, says the press release, and as a precaution closed the other three spaces of this type that it has for the rest of the year.
On September 24, the CDC, according to the press release, determined that the boy was likely exposed to the organism at the park’s recreational fountain, after tests confirmed the presence of the active amoeba Naegleria fowleri in water samples there. .
“It breaks my heart. I am a father of four, a grandfather of five children ages 2 to 7. I can’t imagine having to bury such a son or grandson,” Arlington Mayor Jim Ross told KTVT, an affiliate of the Trends Wide.
The city’s drinking water was not contaminated, the press release says. On this point, he clarifies that the splash area is equipped with a backflow prevention device designed to isolate the water system of the installation.
Low chlorine levels are likely a factor
The City of Arlington conducted an investigation into the maintenance, equipment, and testing procedures for the source water. City officials determined that the water quality test data needed improvement and that employees sometimes did not perform the tests before opening the space each day.
“We have identified loopholes in our daily inspection program,” Deputy City Director Lemuel Randolph said in the news release. “Those gaps resulted in us not meeting our maintenance standards on our platforms. All platforms will remain closed until we are confident that our systems are working as they should, and we have confirmed a maintenance protocol consistent with the standards of the city, county and state. “
Records from two of the recreational water feature areas, including Don Misenhimer Park, showed that employees did not consistently record the water quality tests that are required before the facilities open each day and in some cases do not they carried them out, according to the press release. The tests include checking the amounts of chlorine, which is used as a disinfectant.
A review of the records determined that the water chlorination readings were not documented on two of the three days the boy visited the park in late August and early September, according to the news release.
“Documents show that chlorination levels two days before the child’s last visit were within acceptable ranges,” the statement read. “However, the following documented reading, which occurred the day after the child’s visit, shows that the chlorination level had dropped below the minimum requirement and that additional chlorine was added to the water system.”
It takes about five days after infection for the initial symptoms of primary amebic meningoencephalitis to appear, according to the CDC. Initial symptoms may include headache, fever, nausea, and vomiting. The disease progresses rapidly and usually causes death between one and 18 days after symptoms begin, according to the CDC.
Brain Eating Amoeba Infections in the United States
Infections with the brain-eating amoeba Naegleria fowleri are rare, according to the agency, which states that from 2010 to 2019, 34 infections were reported in the United States. Of those cases, 30 people became infected from water in recreational spaces, three people became infected after performing nasal irrigation with contaminated tap water, and one person became infected from contaminated tap water used in a Slip ‘N Slide game in the backyard. of a house.
Last year, a 6-year-old boy in Lake Jackson, Texas, died after contracting the brain-eating amoeba that was found in the water of the fountain in which the boy had played. In 2019, a 10-year-old Texas girl died after battling an amoeba for more than a week. He likely contracted it while swimming in the Brazos River and Lake Whitney near Waco, Trends Wide affiliate KWTX reported.
Trends Wide’s Amir Vera and Lauren M. Johnson contributed to this report.
