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Texas woman dies from brain-eating amoeba after cleaning sinuses with tap water (www.nbcnews.com)

submitted 3 days ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/health@lemmy.world

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The woman contracted a fatal infection caused by a brain-eating amoeba and died eight days after developing symptoms.

A Texas woman died from an infection caused by a brain-eating amoeba days after she cleaned her sinuses using tap water, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention case report.

The woman, an otherwise healthy 71-year-old, developed "severe neurologic symptoms," including fever, headache and an altered mental status, four days after she filled a nasal irrigation device with tap water from her RV's water system at a Texas campsite, the CDC report said.

She was treated for primary amebic meningoencephalitis — a brain infection caused by Naegleria fowleri, often referred to as the "brain-eating amoeba." Despite treatment, the woman experienced seizures and died from the infection eight days after she developed symptoms, the agency said.

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[–] ColeSloth@discuss.tchncs.de 49 points 2 days ago (2 children)

This wasn't the tap waters fault. This was the rv water tanks fault, most likely. Most people pretty much never clean\sanatize them.

[–] Nindelofocho@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Neti pot instructions typically state you need to use distilled or boiled water. You should follow these instructions regardless of the quality of your municipal water. It does not hurt to do so

[–] milicent_bystandr@lemm.ee 3 points 2 days ago (1 children)

It does not hurt to do so

Unless, like another commenter, you panic and forget to let the boiled water cool enough!

[–] Nindelofocho@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Pro tip, boil water and put it in the freezer for later! /s

[–] milicent_bystandr@lemm.ee 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Squirt ice up your nose!

But for real, boiling water and keeping it in a container for later is a common strategy in many places.

[–] Taleya@aussie.zone 2 points 1 day ago

Those icicles reach places even a pinky can't hit

[–] ColeSloth@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Yeah. And q-tips say not to use them in your ears. Everyone wants to avoid a lawsuit.

[–] Nindelofocho@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Yea…they do…. Because you can fuck up your ears at worst and cause an earwax impaction at best. Im pretty surprised theres so much ignorance on the health comm

[–] Taleya@aussie.zone 3 points 2 days ago (1 children)

My friend, i have some baaad news for you

[–] ColeSloth@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I really don't think you do. It's an extremely rare event in treated public water systems in the US. The amoeba aren't really suited to survive in that water.

[–] Taleya@aussie.zone 4 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

It's been found in drinking systems in multiple countries, including Australia and the US.

But generally speaking, given how the sinuses are an express highway to the brain, you want anything you drench them with to be utterly sterile. Tap water isn't anyway by its nature.