Latest news with #nasalIrrigation
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Woman dies of brain-eating amoeba after using tap water in nasal rinse device
A woman in Texas has died after contracting a fatal brain amoeba from contaminated water. The patient, 71, had used a nasal irrigation device filled with unboiled tap water from an RV's water faucet, according to an alert from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The "previously healthy" woman was staying at a local campground at the time, the agency stated. Dangerous Fungus Could Spread To Parts Of Us, Researchers Claim Within four days of using the nasal rinse, the woman developed "severe neurologic symptoms," including fever, headache and altered mental status. The patient was treated for a potential infection of primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), a rare, deadly brain infection caused by Naegleria fowleri, also known as the brain-eating amoeba. Read On The Fox News App Despite treatment, the woman began having seizures and died eight days after symptoms began. Testing of the patient's cerebrospinal fluid confirmed she had contracted N. fowleri, according to the CDC. "This case reinforces the potential for serious health risks associated with improper use of nasal irrigation devices, as well as the importance of maintaining RV water quality and ensuring that municipal water systems adhere to regulatory standards," the health agency stated. Naegleria fowleri can also be a risk when swimming in fresh water. It is more prevalent during hotter months, as the amoeba grows best in high air and water temperatures. Fox News Digital previously spoke with Tammy Lundstrom, chief medical officer and infectious disease specialist for Trinity Health in Michigan, about the risks of infection. "The risk of brain-eating amoeba is very low," she said. "Fewer than 10 people in the U.S. every year get infected — but unfortunately, most cases are fatal. There are only a handful of survivors of known cases." The death rate for Naegleria fowleri exceeds 97%, per the CDC. The initial symptoms of PAM usually begin about five days after exposure, but they can be noticed sooner. Early signs usually include headache, nausea, fever and/or vomiting, the CDC's website states. As the infection progresses, people may experience confusion, stiff neck, disorientation, hallucinations, seizures and coma. Dangerous Fungus Spreading In Us Hospitals Has 'Rapidly Increased' "People usually start to feel ill one to 12 days after water exposure," Lundstrom said. "Early symptoms should prompt a medical evaluation, as they are also signs of bacterial meningitis." Death can occur anywhere between one and 18 days of infection, at an average of five days. To prevent contracting the fatal infection, the CDC recommends using "distilled, sterile or boiled and cooled tap water for nasal irrigation," as "improperly maintained" municipal water and RV water systems carry the risk of disease. It is also best to avoid immersing your head in the water when swimming in summer, Lundstrom told Fox News Digital. "Infection occurs when water harboring the amoeba goes up a person's nose, usually during swimming," she said. "It is not known why some people get infected and others, even swimming companions, do not." Drinking contaminated water does not present a risk, and the infection does not spread from one person to another, Lundstrom added. Because the amoeba is found in soil, the CDC also recommends avoiding stirring up the sediment at the bottom of lakes, ponds and rivers. When a patient has been diagnosed with a brain-eating amoeba, treatment usually includes a variety of antifungal medications, as well as antibiotics like rifampin and azithromycin, according to Lundstrom. Click Here To Sign Up For Our Health Newsletter Miltefosine, a newer antifungal drug, has been shown to kill Nagleria fowleri in laboratory tests and was used to treat some surviving patients, the CDC states on its website. "However, the effect of all of these drugs on actual infected people is unknown due to the high fatality rate," Lundstrom noted. Those who experience sudden headache, fever, stiff neck or vomiting — especially if they have recently been swimming in warm freshwater — should seek immediate medical attention, the CDC recommends. For more Health articles, visit Despite the infection's high fatality rate, Lundstrom emphasized the rarity of cases. "Millions of people enjoy swimming every summer, but only a few become infected," she article source: Woman dies of brain-eating amoeba after using tap water in nasal rinse device
Gizmodo
7 days ago
- General
- Gizmodo
Texas Woman Dies From Brain-Eating Amoeba After Using Tainted RV Water
Cases of Naegleria fowleri infection are incredibly rare, but nearly always fatal. A woman's practice of nasal irrigation led to her death via brain-eating amoeba. In a recent case report, health officials described how she contracted a fatal infection of Naegleria fowleri through tainted tap water sourced from a recreational vehicle. Federal and local health officials in Texas detailed the unusual death last week in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. The 71-year-old woman developed neurological symptoms days after using a nasal irrigation device and died only a week later. These infections, while rare, can be prevented through practical safety measures, such as only using sterilized water for nasal irrigation, officials say. N. fowleri is a shapeshifting amoeba that lives in soil and warm freshwater. It typically feeds on bacteria and isn't dangerous to humans when it's simply ingested. But when the amoeba enters our body through the nose, it can end up in the brain. Once there, the amoeba will literally feast on brain cells and trigger massive inflammation, causing a severe brain infection known as primary amebic meningoencephalitis, or PAM. According to the MMWR report, the previously healthy woman sought medical care with fever, headache, and altered mental status. Four days earlier, she had irrigated her nose with tap water from an RV's water system at a campground in Texas. Doctors quickly suspected PAM, but even with treatment, she developed seizures and died eight days after her symptoms began. The bizarre nature of her death then prompted an investigation by the Texas Department of State Health Services and the CDC. Officials tested both the water from the woman's RV and the nearby municipal water system that the RV may have been connected to during the trip. Neither source tested positive for the amoeba, and officials were only able to sample the water 23 days after the woman's exposure, so the environmental conditions may have simply changed by then. But they did find evidence that the RV's water system wasn't properly disinfected to prevent contamination, likely explaining how the amoeba found its way into the woman's tap water. 'This case reinforces the potential for serious health risks associated with improper use of nasal irrigation devices, as well as the importance of maintaining RV water quality and ensuring that municipal water systems adhere to regulatory standards,' the officials wrote. PAM is very rare, with only around 150 cases reported since the amoeba was discovered in the 1960s, but it's nearly always fatal once symptoms start. Most infections are typically caught when people get water up their nose while swimming in warm lakes. But the amoeba can also survive in drinking or recreational water systems, especially if they're not properly sterilized. And there have been several cases of people getting infected through using contaminated tap water for nasal irrigation (irrigation is usually performed to clear the sinuses in people with allergies or respiratory infections). The report authors say that PAM can be easily prevented through recommended nasal irrigation practices, which include only relying on distilled, sterilized, or boiled and cooled tap water for irrigation. This latest case also highlights the unique danger posed by improperly cleaned RV water systems. So Texas and federal health officials have now created an infographic for RV users to follow so they can lower their risk of PAM and other waterborne illnesses.
