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Sky News
a day ago
- Health
- Sky News
Parents of boy who died from 'brain-eating amoeba' say they are 'terrified it will happen to someone else'
The parents of a 12-year-old boy who died from due to a "brain-eating amoeba" say they are "terrified it will happen to someone else". Jaysen Carr died two weeks after swimming in one of South Carolina's most popular lakes, when the single-celled organism naegleria fowleri entered his body through his nose. His parents say they had no idea the organism - also known as the brain-eating amoeba - existed in Lake Murray, around 15 miles (24km) west of Columbia. "I can't believe we don't have our son. The result of him being a child was losing his life. That does not sit well. And I am terrified it will happen to someone else," Clarence Carr told The Associated Press (AP). "My son lost his life swimming. We assumed it was safe," he added. Friends invited Jaysen and his family to the lake on the 4 July holiday weekend, where he spent hours swimming, fishing and riding on an inner tube that was being pulled by a boat. A few days later, Jaysen's suffered headaches which got worse and then became nauseous, disoriented and lethargic. The amoeba was in his brain, already causing an infection and destroying brain tissue. It entered his nose, as he played in the water, and travelled along his olfactory nerve into his brain. The amoeba caused an infection called primary amebic meningoencephalitis. Fewer than 10 people a year get it in the US, and more than 95% of them die, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A two-year-old boy died from the same infection in Nevada, after visiting a natural hot spring in July 2023, while in the same month, a swimmer from Georgia also died. Among other incidents, one in March 2023 involved a man from Florida who died after rinsing his nose with tap water, and in August 2022, a child died after swimming in the Elkhorn River in eastern Nebraska. The amoeba is found in warm water. It cannot move from one person to another. A GoFundMe page has raised $53,310 (£39,924) to help Jaysen's family pay for unexpected expenses. What is the 'brain-eating amoeba'? Naegleria fowleri is a single-celled organism which thrives in warm water (over 25C), including lakes and rivers in countries with hot, sometimes dry summers, like the US, Pakistan, and Australia. The amoeba enters the brain through the olfactory nerve in the nose. Once inside, it causes an infection called primary amebic meningoencephalitis. Symptoms start as a headache and nausea, and by the time the pain becomes severe, it is almost always too late to save the infected person. Most deaths happen within five days of getting sick, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Of the 167 cases reported in the US between 1962 and 2024, only four people have survived. Boys seem more susceptible, perhaps because they are more likely to jump and dive into the water. The only way to be completely safe is to not swim in lakes or rivers and, if you do, keep your head above water. The amoeba is fairly common but researchers are still trying to understand why some people appear more susceptible to the deadly infection than others. Mr Carr has questioned whether anyone on the lake had any clue about the danger in that water. "There are entire families out there on pontoon boats, jumping off, just like our kids were having the time of their lives," he said.
South China Morning Post
a day ago
- Health
- South China Morning Post
Parents call for warnings after brain-eating amoeba killed their son
Two weeks after Jaysen Carr spent the Fourth of July holiday swimming and riding on a boat on one of South Carolina's most popular lakes, he was dead from an amoeba that lives in the warm water and entered his brain through his nose. His parents had no idea the brain-eating amoeba, whose scientific name is Naegleria fowleri, even existed in Lake Murray, just 24km (15 miles) west of Columbia. They found out when a doctor told them the diagnosis after what seemed like a fairly regular headache and nausea took a serious turn. Jaysen, 12, fought for a week before dying on July 18, making him one of about 160 people known to have died from the amoeba in the US in the past 60 years. As they grieve their son, the boy's parents said they were stunned to learn South Carolina, like most other US states, has no law requiring public reporting of deaths or infections from the amoeba. The lake was not closed and no water testing was performed. If they had not spoken up, they wonder if anyone would have even known what happened. 'I can't believe we don't have our son. The result of him being a child was losing his life. That does not sit well. And I am terrified it will happen to someone else,' Clarence Carr said as his wife sat beside him, hugging a stuffed tiger.
CBS News
a day ago
- Health
- CBS News
Family of boy who died from brain-eating amoeba raise awareness: "We don't want his death to be in vain"
The family of 12-year-old Jaysen Carr is speaking out about the child's recent passing from a brain-eating amoeba. In a new conference Tuesday in Columbia, South Carolina, Carr's parents said they wanted to bring awareness to the rare but often fatal brain infection caused by the Naegleria fowleri organism. The infection, called primary amebic meningoencephalitis, or PAM, occurs when water is forced up the nose and is able to cross into the brain, which can happen during recreational freshwater activities. "This is a very tough situation," said Clarence Carr, Jaysen's father. "We're doing the best that we can, but just understand, we do not want this to happen to anyone else. We're here to raise public awareness and go from there." Jaysen's mother Ebony Carr, who was wearing her son's all-state champion headband, said the family is still in shock about what happened. "Had we known the risk of him swimming in that lake, nobody would have ever chosen to get in. So we definitely want the public to know that there are major risks swimming in Lake Murray and any other body of water," she said. "There needs to definitely be some awareness about it, and we don't want his death to be in vain because had we known, he wouldn't have been in it." Jaysen was the Carrs' middle child to a younger brother and older sister, his mother added. "He was a great big brother, great role model, and he also was very protective of his older sister as well. He truly had the gift of love, compassion, athleticism, and that big smile that everybody loved about him," she said. Jaysen died as a patient in Prisma Health Children's Hospital-Midlands, a South Carolina children's hospital. After the news of his death was announced last week, the South Carolina Department of Public Health said this was the first known case in the state since 2016. To reduce the risk of infection, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests holding your nose or wearing a nose clip if you are jumping or diving into freshwater or keeping your head above water in hot springs. Signs of infection include nausea, vomiting, fever, a severe headache, stiff neck, seizures, altered mental state and hallucinations.
Boston Globe
a day ago
- Health
- Boston Globe
Parents want more warnings after a brain-eating amoeba killed their boy on a South Carolina lake
Jaysen, 12, fought for a week before dying on July 18, making him one of about 160 people known to have died from the amoeba in the U.S. in the past 60 years. Advertisement As they grieve their son, the boy's parents said they were stunned to learn South Carolina, like most other U.S. states, has no law requiring public reporting of deaths or infections from the amoeba. The lake wasn't closed and no water testing was performed. If they hadn't spoken up, they wonder if anyone would have even known what happened. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up This photo shows Clarence Carr (left) and his son Jaysen at his middle school football game in Columbia, S.C. Uncredited/Associated Press 'I can't believe we don't have our son. The result of him being a child was losing his life. That does not sit well. And I am terrified it will happen to someone else,' Clarence Carr told The Associated Press as his wife sat beside him, hugging a stuffed tiger that had a recording of their middle child's heartbeat. The best Fourth of July ever Jaysen loved sports. He played football and baseball. He loved people, too. As soon as he met you, he was your friend, his father said. He was smart enough to have skipped a grade in school and to play several instruments in his middle school band in Columbia. Advertisement 'He either loved you or he just didn't know you,' his father said. 'He was the type of person who could go to a jump park and five minutes later say, 'This is my friend James.'' Friends invited Jaysen and his family for the Fourth of July holiday weekend on the lake, where Jaysen spent hours swimming, fishing and riding on an inner tube that was being pulled by a boat. 'Mom and Dad, that was the best Fourth of July I've ever had,' Clarence Carr remembered his son telling him. A headache suddenly gets worse A few days later, Jaysen's head started to hurt. Pain relievers helped. But the next day the headache got worse and he started throwing up. He told the emergency room doctors exactly where he was hurting. But soon he started to get disoriented and lethargic. The amoeba was in his brain, already causing an infection and destroying brain tissue. It entered through his nose as water was forced deep into his nasal passages, possibly from one of the times Jaysen jumped into the water. It then traveled along his olfactory nerve into his brain. The amoeba caused an infection called primary amebic meningoencephalitis. Fewer than 10 people a year get it in the U.S., and over 95% of them die. The last death from the amoeba in South Carolina was in 2016, according to the The amoeba is fairly common. Researchers are still trying to figure out why the infections are so rare. Some people have been found to have had antibodies, signaling they may have survived exposure. Others may die from brain swelling and other problems without the amoeba ever being detected. Advertisement The amoeba is found in warm water and the infection is almost always fatal The amoeba becomes dangerous in water that stays over 77 degrees Fahrenheit (25 degrees Celsius) and for years has been seen almost exclusively in the summer in the southern part of the country. But a few The CDC said 167 cases of the infection have been reported in the U.S. between 1962 and 2024, and only four people have survived. One infection in a body of water doesn't increase the chances of another infection in the same body of water, the CDC said. The amoeba cannot move from one person to another. Boys seem most susceptible, but researchers don't know if that is simply because they are more likely to jump and dive into the water or play in sediment at the bottom of lakes. The amoeba can show up in hot springs, rivers and, on rare occasions, in tap water. That's why doctors recommend using sterile water for cleaning nasal passages with a neti pot. The only way to be completely safe is to not swim in lakes or rivers and, if you do, keep your head above water. Pinching your nose or using nose clips when diving or swimming can keep water out of your nose. Parents want others to know the danger from the brain-eating amoeba As he sat in an intensive care hospital room with his son, Clarence Carr couldn't help but think of all the people on the lake. He wondered if any of them had any clue about the microscopic danger in that water. Advertisement 'There are entire families out there on pontoon boats, jumping off, just like our kids were having the time of their lives,' he said. 'It very well could be their last moments, and they are unaware of it.' Lake Murray in South Carolina, on July 29. The amoeba that led to Jaysen's death is fairly common, but researchers are trying to figure out why infections are so rare. Meg Kinnard/Associated Press
CTV News
a day ago
- Health
- CTV News
Parents want more warnings after a brain-eating amoeba killed their boy on a South Carolina lake
Clarence and Ebony Carr hug as they talk about the death of their son from a brain-eating amoeba he got at a popular South Carolina lake on Tuesday, July 29, 2025, in Columbia, S.C.. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Collins) COLUMBIA, S.C. — Two weeks after Jaysen Carr spent the Fourth of July swimming and riding on a boat on one of South Carolina's most popular lakes, he was dead from an amoeba that lives in the warm water and entered his brain through his nose. His parents had no clue the brain-eating amoeba, whose scientific name is Naegleria fowleri, even existed in Lake Murray, just 15 miles (24 kilometres) west of Columbia. They found out when a doctor, in tears, told them the diagnosis after what seemed like a fairly regular headache and nausea took a serious turn. Jaysen, 12, fought for a week before dying on July 18, making him one of about 160 people known to have died from the amoeba in the U.S. in the past 60 years. As they grieve their son, the boy's parents said they were stunned to learn South Carolina, like most other U.S. states, has no law requiring public reporting of deaths or infections from the amoeba. The lake wasn't closed and no water testing was performed. If they hadn't spoken up, they wonder if anyone would have even known what happened. 'I can't believe we don't have our son. The result of him being a child was losing his life. That does not sit well. And I am terrified it will happen to someone else,' Clarence Carr told The Associated Press as his wife sat beside him, hugging a stuffed tiger that had a recording of their middle child's heartbeat. The best Fourth of July ever Jaysen loved sports. He played football and baseball. He loved people, too. As soon as he met you, he was your friend, his father said. He was smart enough to have skipped a grade in school and to play several instruments in his middle school band in Columbia. 'He either loved you or he just didn't know you,' his father said. 'He was the type of person who could go to a jump park and five minutes later say, 'This is my friend James.'' Friends invited Jaysen and his family for the Fourth of July holiday weekend on the lake, where Jaysen spent hours swimming, fishing and riding on an inner tube that was being pulled by a boat. 'Mom and Dad, that was the best Fourth of July I've ever had,' Clarence Carr remembered his son telling him. A headache suddenly gets worse A few days later, Jaysen's head started to hurt. Pain relievers helped. But the next day the headache got worse and he started throwing up. He told the emergency room doctors exactly where he was hurting. But soon he started to get disoriented and lethargic. The amoeba was in his brain, already causing an infection and destroying brain tissue. It entered through his nose as water was forced deep into his nasal passages, possibly from one of the times Jaysen jumped into the water. It then traveled along his olfactory nerve into his brain. The amoeba caused an infection called primary amebic meningoencephalitis. Fewer than 10 people a year get it in the U.S., and over 95% of them die, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The amoeba is fairly common. Researchers are still trying to figure out why the infections are so rare. Some people have been found to have had antibodies, signalling they may have survived exposure. Others may die from brain swelling and other problems without the amoeba ever being detected. The amoeba is found in warm water and the infection is almost always fatal The amoeba becomes dangerous in very warm water and for years has been seen almost exclusively in the summer in the southern part of the country. But a few recent cases have popped up in Maryland, Indiana and Minnesota, scientists said. The CDC said 167 cases of the infection have been reported in the U.S. between 1962 and 2024, and only four people have survived. Boys seem most susceptible, but researchers don't know if that is simply because they are more likely to jump and dive into the water or play in sediment at the bottom of lakes. The amoeba can show up in hot springs, rivers and, on rare occasions, in tap water. That's why doctors recommend using sterile water for cleaning nasal passages with a neti pot. The only way to be completely safe is to not swim in lakes or rivers and, if you do, keep your head above water. Pinching your nose or using nose clips when diving or swimming can keep water out of your nose. Parents want others to know the danger from the brain-eating amoeba As he sat in an intensive care hospital room with his son, Clarence Carr couldn't help but think of all the people on the lake. He wondered if any of them had any clue about the microscopic danger in that water. 'There are entire families out there on pontoon boats, jumping off, just like our kids were having the time of their lives,' he said. 'It very well could be their last moments, and they are unaware of it.' Jeffrey Collins, The Associated Press
