A 16 year old survived a case of those brain eating amoeba.

[catycatcat4]

http://www.fox13news.com/home/195164853-story

 

[Alicenwonderment]

It sounds like he was very lucky!! I'm curious if this can be found or has been found in other areas of the country. At least with the gators I can always say we don't have gators here but this summer in New England has had many days above 90 unlike other summers.

 

[CampbellzSoup]

Stay OUT of the damn lakes...

Between the alligator and amoeba I'm not sure what it's going to take...

 

[mommy2allgirls]

It sounds like he was very lucky!! I'm curious if this can be found or has been found in other areas of the country. At least with the gators I can always say we don't have gators here but this summer in New England has had many days above 90 unlike other summers.

I know there have been a few cases in Texas

 

[TheJuiciestOfJs]

There was an 11 year old girl that died here in Charleston not too long ago from amebic meningoencephalitis ("brain eating ameba") contracted from swimming in the Edisto River. Scary stuff.

I know the hospitals here are keeping the drug regimen in stock at all times now. Unfortunately, the drugs cost a TON. The one drug they flashed in the video is ~$20,000 for 28 capsules. That's just cost to the hospital.

 

[wilkeliza]

Seems to be they are finally on to something about treatment. All cases of survivors have been people whose body temperature was lowered significantly and who were put in medically induced comas. I know the cocktail was because of the first known survivor and she was cooled down as well. Those that were just given the cocktail but not cooled didn't make it.


So happy to hear this young man recovered!

The ameba can be in any warm body of water so it definitly is my just a south Florida thing.

 

[TheJuiciestOfJs]

Seems to be they are finally on to something about treatment. All cases of survivors have been people whose body temperature was lowered significantly and who were put in medically induced comas. I know the cocktail was because of the first known survivor and she was cooled down as well. Those that were just given the cocktail but not cooled didn't make it.


So happy to hear this young man recovered!

The ameba can be in any warm body of water so it definitly is my just a south Florida thing.

Yeah that's the bad thing. Since there are so few cases we have to go on case studies and best guess data. Better than nothing but I hope that 99% mortality rate goes down.

 

[wilkeliza]

Yeah that's the bad thing. Since there are so few cases we have to go on case studies and best guess data. Better than nothing but I hope that 99% mortality rate goes down.

It also sucks for such a high mortality rate to have to be a guinea pig and to not really know what works and what doesn't. I know with the cocktail it wasn't even legal meds but they were going to try anythig that might help so that why it is 7 different meds. They don't know which med combo is what worked and don't want to risk it being wrong.

 

[robinb]

I kinda teared up along with that doctor.

 

[Jdbsfw]

I know there have been a few cases in Texas

I think the majority of cases over the years have been in Texas or Florida. One of my mother's coworkers died from it after waterskiing back in the 80's.....He was young and newly married, tough.

 

[Princess Jes]

It also sucks for such a high mortality rate to have to be a guinea pig and to not really know what works and what doesn't. I know with the cocktail it wasn't even legal meds but they were going to try anythig that might help so that why it is 7 different meds. They don't know which med combo is what worked and don't want to risk it being wrong.

But better a Guinea pig who has even a slightly better chance of survival than certain death I guess?

 

[wilkeliza]

But better a Guinea pig who has even a slightly better chance of survival than certain death I guess?

True

 

[msb578]

It sounds like he was very lucky!! I'm curious if this can be found or has been found in other areas of the country. At least with the gators I can always say we don't have gators here but this summer in New England has had many days above 90 unlike other summers.

I'm by no means an expert on this... I'm going to speculate we're talking about bodies of water that are quite warm year-round. I know here in the Syracuse, NY area we have lakes that are now mid-70s at least, but in a few months they'll be frozen.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

The brain-eating amoeba, known as Naegleria fowleri, has been found in KS.

A news story I was reading from a KS 2014 case did state:



ETA the 2014 news story also said: "Cases of Naegleria fowleri are more common in July, August and September when there is prolonged heat and thus higher water temperatures and lower water levels."

 

[NeuroCindy]

Yes, it is found in other states. I know TN has had cases. Generally, it is not found north of the Mason-Dixon Line, though with weather patterns changing, who knows.

Once I get to work I'll write more about the amoeba (so I can act like I'm actually doing something neurosciency)