Stay out the damn lakes

[Cherinva]

The phase that Pete says at the end of the podcasts not only applies in Florida but everywhere !!! There was a news story on NBC last night about a boy that is in serious condition with a brain eating amoeba.

Before the podcast I never knew about this......

 

[wiigirl]

Yikes!!

 

[darrengs]

Yes, this is horrible. The boy was playing in a water filled ditch near home.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/08/13/brain-eating-amoeba-florida-boy/2651225/

 

[HubbDave]

Almost always fatal

I think I heard there have been 129 cases in the US since. 1970)(?) and 128 were fatal

 

[HubbDave]

And then I read the article

127 of 128 since 1962

 

[sayhello]

Um, but the poor kid is in Florida.

Does this really happen everywhere?

Sayhello

 

[doconeill]

There is another case with a girl in Arkansas that was on the news last night as well, but her prognosis is actually fair. And I think there was one in Texas not long ago. It's the water conditions that make it ideal for N. Fowleri to grow...typically warm, shallow areas that aren't disturbed too much.

I believe that report mentioned that at least a couple people have actually survived.

 

[kamik86]

Well technically this is everywhere the water hasn't been cleared for swiming.

As a kid myself and my friends spent ALOT of time in nearby lakes (there are many of them in our area, no community swimming pools except the two YMCAs but tons of lakes)

However these most of these lakes are guarded and have beaches specifically for swimming. There was one lake for a while that didn't pass an inspection due to too many issues with leeches and a few other things and it was banned from being used for swimming for quite a few years so we stayed out of that one. The ones that weren't guarded had signs saying that weren't guarded but could be used for swimming. The one that wasn't for swimming was marked as such. As long as you follow the signs your ok.

The one that wasn't guarded but you could swim was because they didn't feel it was a good family lake, lot of natural drop offs due to the rock bottom (so it could go from 2 feet deep to 10 feet deep in one step) and it was a dead lake (no fish or plants) so the water was crystal clear so you couldn't tell when looking down how deep the water was. Oh it was also a 10 min walk to another lake that had a nice beach. This was the one you played in with parents in a big group when you wanted to have the place to yourself.

 

[SamSam]

The girl in Arkansas is recovering (hope it continues) and doctors are looking at her treatment to try and learn what made the difference for her.
Here's an article about her:
http://www.nbcnews.com/health/brain-eating-amoeba-remains-rare-deadly-6C10916521?ocid=msnhp&pos=1

 

[DisneyKevin]

Um, but the poor kid is in Florida.

Does this really happen everywhere?

Sayhello

Some simple internet research shows that this has happened all over the world.

It is usually associated with lakes, but has happened in swimming pools and other standing water.

Here is the Wikipedia listing for it:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naegleria_fowleri

 

[irishdadx4]

I seem to recall that there were a couple of instances where people were "infected" with the amoeba from netti pots that they didn't clean and sterilize good enough. The real tragedy about all this is that for the most part it's children that get infected, and it's pretty much a certain and not pleasant death.

 

[doconeill]

I seem to recall that there were a couple of instances where people were "infected" with the amoeba from netti pots that they didn't clean and sterilize good enough. The real tragedy about all this is that for the most part it's children that get infected, and it's pretty much a certain and not pleasant death.

Yes, there were two people, I think in Louisiana, that used plain tap water for their neti pots, and died from the infection.

 

[sayhello]

Yes, there were two people, I think in Louisiana, that used plain tap water for their neti pots, and died from the infection.

Sayhello

 

[Cherinva]

Yes, there were two people, I think in Louisiana, that used plain tap water for their neti pots, and died from the infection.

Ugg...I'm getting rid of mine tonight.....

 

[doconeill]

Ugg...I'm getting rid of mine tonight.....

Get distilled water from the local drug store.

Edit: It depends on how treated your local water is as well.