Health Services of Yucatán ordered the closure of four more artificial lakes in Mérida after testing found Naegleria in the water. The amoeba was detected in sites that are now being blocked off with barriers and warning signs.
The latest action follows a citywide evaluation of 9 urban water features. Health Services of Yucatán said the rest tested negative, while the affected lakes are now entering sanitation work under technical guidance from specialists at the Autonomous University of Yucatán and the Center for Research and Advanced Studies.
Mérida lake closures
Testing again returned positive for the artificial lake at La Isla and another smaller body of water nearby in Cabo Norte. Naegleria was also detected at Parque Ecologico de Oriente and in the artificial lakes at both El Centenario Zoo and La Plancha, bringing the total to six artificial lakes under restriction.
Municipal, federal, and private operators are beginning chemical sanitation protocols at each location. Health Services of Yucatán said clearing the restricted lakes will be carried out by health authorities and independent research institutions, with operators at each site working under direct technical guidance.
La Isla testing response
The citywide testing drive was triggered by a fatal medical emergency at an artificial lake at Plaza La Isla. A water sports instructor contracted a rare brain infection after instructing water sports, mainly wakeboarding, in the contaminated water. In the weeks after the incident, medical surveillance teams monitored hundreds of individuals with potential exposure.
Health authorities said all monitored individuals completed their required observation periods without symptoms, and no other human cases have occurred. For readers following similar cases, the same organism has been tied to rare infections elsewhere, including Moises Ponce Mendoza Death Tied to Brain-eating Amoeba Exposure, Brain-eating Amoeba North Carolina, and Louisiana reports fourth Brain-eating Amoeba case at Lake Claiborne.
Public access in Mérida
State and municipal officials said detecting the amoeba in these water bodies does not require closing the surrounding facilities. All affected public parks and zoological grounds remain fully open to visitors and families, and none of the nine inspected sites are designed or approved for swimming or recreational bathing.
Health officials said the Naegleria amoeba is transmitted only when contaminated water is forced high into the nasal cavity, and it cannot be contracted through casual contact, surface splashes, or drinking tap water. The practical step now is simple: stay out of the restricted lakes while remediation continues, even as the surrounding parks remain open.
