North Carolina health officials said Thursday that a central North Carolina teenager was critically ill with brain-eating amoeba North Carolina infection caused by Naegleria fowleri. The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services said the teen has primary amebic meningoencephalitis, or PAM, after exposure linked to warm freshwater.
Dr. Zack Moore, the State Epidemiologist, said, "Our hearts go out to this teen’s family, friends and loved ones as they navigate this difficult time," and Dr. David Weber of UNC Health said the infection can carry "a very high mortality, meaning over 95%, because it's directly involving the brain."
Naegleria fowleri in North Carolina
Moore said the infections are extremely rare but serve as a reminder that the amoeba is found in North Carolina and elsewhere in the United States. Health officials said the organism grows best in warm water, can survive at temperatures as high as 115 degrees, and can infect people when contaminated water is forced up the nose.
The same officials said Naegleria fowleri is not found in salt water or in properly maintained and chlorinated swimming pools. PAM can begin with severe headache, fever, nausea and vomiting, then move quickly to a stiff neck, seizures and coma. The disease is usually fatal within about five days after symptoms begin.
Debra Moffat and Aven
Debra Moffat, whose son Aven died in 2021 at age six after contracting PAM, pushed back on the word rare. "You can ask anyone who has been affected by this amoeba, and we hate the word 'rare,'" she said. "It's probably the one thing that drives us the most crazy, because it's rare until it happens to you."
Moffat also said, "We put our kids in car seats, and we put them in life jackets when they're on boats," and added, "Swimming in freshwater is a risk that's not necessary."
Exposure in water
Health officials did not release the teen's identifying information or say where in the water the teen encountered Naegleria fowleri. For families in North Carolina, the case leaves the same practical warning: the risk comes from freshwater exposure through the nose, not from drinking water, and the infection can progress too fast for delay once symptoms start.
