Amoeba Awareness in Facebook

Recently a Facebook page created to boost awareness about the potential risk of the “brain-eating” microbes which being blamed for the brain infections that killed two youngsters recently.

A nine-year old identified as Christian Alexander Strickland from Henrico County, Virgina, died from meningoencephalitis after being infected with the microscopic bugs, which flourish in stagnant lakes and ponds during hot weather.

The boy died August 5, making him the first to die of the infection since 1969, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported. His mother, Amber Strickland, mentioned her son had attended a fishing day camp at several locations the week before he died.

“He went from playing video games to being brain dead,” she said.

An identical death occurred last weekend in central Florida involving a sixteen year-old girl. The death of this sixteen year-old Florida girl who also died from this rare amoeba infection Saturday has spurred a campaign by her family and friends to boost awareness about the risks of swimming in warm fresh water.

Courtney Nash caught the amoebic infection while swimming in a branch of Florida’s St. Johns River on Aug. 3, health officials said. She began getting headaches and was taken to a local hospital in Orlando last Wednesday, members of the family said.

This kind of infection that killed Christian and Nash affects the brain first. There are only a handful of cases each year of what is known as amoebic meningoencephalitis. The infection is not contagious like other forms of meningitis. However, there is an estimated 3% survival rate, according to medical reports.

A Facebook page created to raise awareness about the potential risk of the lethal amoeba infection in her honor has more than 900 followers.

How do the amoebas get into the brain? Dr. Michael Edmond, epidemiologist for VCU Medical Center in Richmond, Va., and chief of infectious diseases, mentioned they swim up the nose, via the sinuses and into the space around the brain.

Symptoms include headaches, vomiting, and neck stiffness, according to the website of the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality.

Antibiotics can help end the infection if given promptly, but the website cautions against swimming in stagnant water, especially water that doesn’t feel cool upon entering. In addition, it’s best to avoid underwater swimming except in swimming pools and to hold your nose or use nose plugs when diving into water except swimming pools.

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