12-year-old boy dies from brain-eating amoeba after swimming in South Carolina lake
Jaysen Carr came into contact with the deadly amoeba Naegleria fowleri at Lake Murray, a large man-made lake just outside of Columbia, his family announced Thursday. He died on died on July 18.
'Jaysen's family is grieving this unthinkable loss, but they are also grateful at the outpouring of love and support they have received from the community,' the family's attorney, Tyler Bailey, told WIS-TV in a statement.
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'The family has many questions about how and why Jaysen died and wants to do everything in their power to ensure this doesn't happen to another family.'
3 Jaysen Carr, 12, died after he became infected with a brain-eating amoeba, officials said.
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3 Jaysen was infected while swimming in South Carolina's Lake Murray.
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The South Carolina Department of Public Health emphasized Jaysen's death is not part of a wider public health emergency and stressed that while the single-cell organism is naturally occurring in most warm bodies of water, human infection is very rare, according to WIS-TV.
This is the first case of Naegleria fowleri in the Palmetto State since 2016.
Nationwide, there have only been 167 cases reported in the past 62 years — but only four of those survived, according to the CDC.
The organism is dubbed the 'brain-eating amoeba' because it can infect the brain and destroy tissue, the agency said. Infections typically occur after swimming in a lake, river, or other fresh water during summer months when the water levels are low and temperatures are hot.
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3 Naegleria fowleri can lead to a primary amebic meningoencephalitis, which kills most people.
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If water containing the amoeba goes up the nose and to the brain, it can cause an infection called primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) — which typically leads to coma and death within five days, according to the CDC.
Jaysen's funeral has been scheduled for Saturday. The Carr family has launched a GoFundMe to cover the unexpected costs of medical and funeral expenses.
'He was an incredible son, a devoted brother, and a true friend to everyone who knew him. His kind heart and bright spirit left a lasting impact on everyone he met,' organizers wrote on the fundraiser page.
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