Brain Eating Amoeba

[LookingToGetOuttaAZ]

Originally Posted by LauraC

Sooooooo, if you decide to visit the South or you already live here, and you do some swimming in warm shallow water lakes, there's a brain eating amoeba, with your name on it, waiting to shoot up your nose.

It loves warm water hence the Southern connection. There have already been 6 cases this year in Texas, Arizona and Florida after 23 cases in 9 years. It's fatal within 2 weeks.

Like we don't have enough to worry about.


Here's the Associated Press news story:

My Way News - 6 Die From Brain-Eating Amoeba in Lakes

In another reason to rethink Forida, in central Florida, authorities started an amoeba phone hot line to advise people to avoid warm, standing water and areas with algae blooms. Where is there no warm standing water in Florida except for the ocean?

So, where was that Tennessee swimmin' hole, again? Bathtub is looking good.

This is very scary... I live here in AZ and the lake that the boy had been swimming in is a BIG hotspot for Spring Break. I guess I will not be swimming in any lakes at all. I will stick to my pool.

[gemkeeper]

Originally Posted by LookingToGetOuttaAZ

This is very scary... I live here in AZ and the lake that the boy had been swimming in is a BIG hotspot for Spring Break. I guess I will not be swimming in any lakes at all. I will stick to my pool.

That is a very scary thought. I would be sure to wash any bathing suit thoroughly that may have been used in fresh water lakes or ponds before wearing them in my backyard pool. (Actually, I would probably discard them.)

I would stick to the pool and be sure that you do not allow any build-up of sediment or algae in your pool.

I wonder if children may be more susceptible, first because of their typical behavior and antics while swimming, and secondly, the distance from their nostrils to the olfactory canal is much shorter than in mature, larger adults. Hmmm, any doctors out there?

[alleycat]

Personally, if I was swimming in a shallow lake in Florida . . . I'd be more afraid of gators.

[LookingToGetOuttaAZ]

Originally Posted by gemthornton

That is a very scary thought. I would be sure to wash any bathing suit thoroughly that may have been used in fresh water lakes or ponds before wearing them in my backyard pool. (Actually, I would probably discard them.)

I would stick to the pool and be sure that you do not allow any build-up of sediment or algae in your pool.

I wonder if children may be more susceptible, first because of their typical behavior and antics while swimming, and secondly, the distance from their nostrils to the olfactory canal is much shorter than in mature, larger adults. Hmmm, any doctors out there?

All good advice, luckily we only swim in our pool. Took the kids to a waterpark onetime and one got a really bad rash (looked like chicken pox). After that we stick to our pool.

[LauraC]

Originally Posted by alleycat

Personally, if I was swimming in a shallow lake in Florida . . . I'd be more afraid of gators.

And when they cut the killer gator open they found a half digested young woman with a brain eating amoeba up her nose. News at 11.