'New Scare Unlocked': Internet Spooked as Florida Man Dies of Brain-Eating Amoeba

A man in Charlotte County, Florida, has died after being infected with brain-eating amoeba Naegleria fowleri, a news release from the Florida Department of Health in Charlotte County confirmed.

It was added that the case, which was confirmed back in late February, could have resulted from "sinus rinse practices utilizing tap water."

Officials yet again strongly advised residents to use special sinus solutions based on distilled or sterile water, and explained the need for boiling tap water for at least one minute and then being cooled before sinus rinsing.

To allay apprehensions, Jae Williams added:

“Infection with Naegleria fowleri is rare and can only happen when water contaminated with amoebae enters the body through the nose. You cannot be infected by drinking tap water.”

Naegleria fowleri, known as the “brain-eating amoeba," is a single-cell organism particularly tailored to inhabiting warm freshwater and soil. Its preferred habitat, where it enjoys its highest reproductive rate, is a warm freshwater environment, such as lakes, rivers, and geothermal hot springs. The unicellular organism can also live in damp soil.

In the case of human infections, the thermophilic amoeba travels up through the nose via the nasal mucosa during water activities, especially involving diving. This can also happen when people cleanse their sinuses using contaminated water. As the amoeba travels up the nose to the brain and spinal cord, it devours erythrocytes, also called red blood cells, and nerve cells, triggering inflammation and destruction of the brain tissue. The result is a rare and very severe disease called primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM). The disease cannot be spread by people via human contact.

News of the Florida death triggered a swift reaction on the Internet, with many resorting to dark humor, commenting that a "new fear was unlocked," in reference to the coronavirus pandemic scare that has gripped the world for the past three years.

Many also drew parallels with "The Last of Us," an action-adventure survival horror game franchise set in a post-apocalyptic US.