St. Bernard Parish water supply tested positive for the rare "brain-eating" amoeba following the death of a 4-year-old, who reportedly got the lethal infection while playing on a slip 'n slide, CBS News reported Friday.
The brain-eating amoeba technically called Naegleria fowleri has been found in the St. Bernard Parish, La. water supply following the death of a 4-year-old last week, who reportedly contracted the lethal infection while playing on a slip 'n slide.
"The water is safe to drink and there are basic precautions that families can take -- such as chlorinating their pools and avoiding getting water in their noses -- to protect themselves, though infection from this amoeba is very rare," Louisiana State Health Officer Jimmy Guidry said in a press release.
ABC News reported that St. Bernard Parish is located five miles from New Orleans.
CBS affiliate WWL in New Orleans reported last week that the deceased 4-year-old was from Mississippi and he was simply visiting the area when he ingested some water from the St. Bernard Parish supply through his nose.
Reports stated that primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), the disease caused by the brain-eating amoeba, is contracted only by way of nasal ingestion.
"They feel it was contracted in the with the slip 'n slide being out in the mud and the water for over a 12 or 14-hour period, in very hot conditions," St, Bernard Parish President David Peralta said Friday, adding that the amoeba had only been found in a water tank in the toilet inside the home that time and not in the water supply.
However, testing from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stated that through additional testing it was found out that the amoeba is present in four sites in the Violet and Arabi areas. The samples used in the additional testing were taken from fire hydrants and faucets connected directly to water lines.
Authorities said the parish had begun chlorinating its water supply last week after the child's death was reported, and officials announced that the chlorinating efforts are to continue given the latest testing results.
"We know that chlorine kills Naegleria fowleri, which is why it was critical that the parish proactively began flushing its water system with additional chlorine last week," Assistant Secretary for Public Health J.T. Lane said. "The parish will continue this action until it raises chlorine residuals to recommended levels and this process will continue for several weeks."
Meanwhile, some water samples tested showed low levels of chlorine.
WWL reported Thursday that the St. Bernard Parish school system is to cut off water supply to public school systems.
The brain-eating amoeba, Naegleria fowleri, is commonly found in warm, fresh waters such as lakes, streams and canals that are up to 115 degrees Fahrenheit. The amoeba has to swim up the nose to penetrate the brain and cause PAM; thus, authorities said that drinking water alone won't likely present health risk.
The infection of the brain-eating amoeba is said to be very rare. Of the 128 infections in the U.S. from 1962 to 2012, only one documented case of survival was noted.
Safety precautions from the CDC are listed below:
- Do not allow water to go up your nose or sniff water into your nose when bathing, showering, washing your face or swimming in small hard plastic/blow-up pools.
- Do not jump into or put your head under bathing water (in bathtubs, small hard plastic/blow-up pools). Instead, walk or lower yourself in.
- Do not allow children to play unsupervised with hoses or sprinklers, as they may accidentally squirt water up their noses. Avoid slip-n-slides or other activities where it is difficult to prevent water going up the nose.
- Do run bath and shower taps and hoses for five minutes before use to flush out the pipes. This is most important the first time you use the tap after the water utility raises the disinfectant level.
- Do keep small hard plastic/blow-up pools clean by emptying, scrubbing and allowing them to dry after each use.
- Do use only boiled and cooled, distilled or sterile water for making sinus rinse solutions for neti pots or performing ritual ablutions.
- Do keep your swimming pool adequately disinfected before and during use.
- Do place hoses directly into the skimmer box of swimming pools and ensure that the filter is running.
- Do not top off by placing the hose in the body of the swimming pool.
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