Infection can occur when parasites enter through the sinuses, and it is a very rare infection.
A Florida man who died of a brain-eating amoeba he may have contracted after washing his nose by inhaling tap water, health officials said.
The Charlotte County state health department said in a February 23 news release that it continues to investigate the cause of the infection caused by a single-celled amoeba called Naegleria fowleri.
This parasite lives in fresh water and soil, specifically in a warm environment, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. So the infection usually occurs in the summer, and is due to swimming in lakes and rivers with warm water.
The patient can be infected when parasites enter through the sinuses, which is a very rare infection.
The Ministry of Health said that the disease cannot be caused by drinking tap water. The ministry urged people to use sterile water when washing their sinuses. Or boil water for at least one minute.
Three confirmed cases of the disease occurred last year, after exposure to freshwater, in Iowa, Nebraska and Arizona.
After the infected person was diagnosed in Iowa last year, the lake in which he swam was temporarily closed. In Nebraska, a child was injured after swimming in the Elkhorn River in August. He was taken to hospital and died 10 days later.
Symptoms of amebic meningoencephalitis infection include headache, nausea, fever, loss of balance, neck spasm, and palpitations. The disease develops rapidly after the onset of symptoms, and the infected person usually dies after 18 days as a maximum.
