- A North Carolina teenager has died after contracting Naegleria fowleri, a rare brain-eating amoeba found in warm bodies of freshwater.
- This loss marks the second death in the United States caused by the amoeba within two months, following an eight-year-old girl's death in Louisiana.
- Infection with Naegleria fowleri leads to primary amebic meningoencephalitis, a condition that carries a 97 percent fatality rate and usually results in death within five days.
- Officials attribute the potential rise in summer infections to record heat waves, as the amoeba thrives in elevated temperatures during July and August.
- Experts recommend avoiding warm freshwater and preventing water from rushing up the nose, the only route the amoeba takes to reach the brain.
IN FULL
North Carolina teen who contracted rare brain-eating amoeba dies
