KANSAS CITY - An adult is in intensive care with a case of a rare and deadly brain infection caused by the amoeba Naegleria fowleri, according to Missouri health officials. The patient had recently been water skiing at the Lake of the Ozarks.
The microscopic, single-celled organism is commonly found in warm, fresh water such as lakes, rivers, and ponds, and thrives in the summer heat.
State Epidemiologist Nathan Kofornis tells KMOX the infection occurs when contaminated water is forced up into the sinuses, typically during activities like diving, jumping, or water skiing. He stressed that the infection cannot be contracted by drinking the water.
"You don't have to worry about drinking the water," Kofornis said. "Typically, less worried about just swimming, in the water, things like that, although it's possible, but typically, it involves getting a certain amount of water, kind of forced up the sinuses. And if that water just happened to have one of these amoeba living in it, you could get this infection."
Health officials recommend that people swimming in warm freshwater take precautions, such as holding their nose shut, using nose clips, or keeping their heads above water when jumping or diving.
Kofornis emphasized that infections from Naegleria fowleri are extremely rare, but the state wants the public to be aware of the risk during the summer months.