{"id":599695,"date":"2026-08-29T13:50:19","date_gmt":"2026-08-29T13:50:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/599695\/"},"modified":"2026-08-29T13:50:19","modified_gmt":"2026-08-29T13:50:19","slug":"north-carolina-teen-critically-ill-after-contracting-rare-brain-eating-amoeba-infection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/599695\/","title":{"rendered":"North Carolina teen critically ill after contracting rare &#8216;brain-eating amoeba&#8217; infection"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>RALEIGH, N.C. (WLOS)  \u2014 Health officials in North Carolina confirm a teen in the central part of the state is critically ill after contracting a rare disease caused by Naegleria fowleri, an amoeba commonly found in warm freshwater.<\/p>\n<p>In an Aug. 27 news release, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) said the patient is receiving medical care and no other information would be released to protect the family&#8217;s privacy.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Our hearts go out to this teen\u2019s family, friends and loved ones as they navigate this difficult time,&#8221; State Epidemiologist Zack Moore, M.D., said in a written statement.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/wlos.com\/news\/nation-world\/8-year-old-girl-dies-rare-infection-contracting-brain-eating-amoeba-naegleria-fowleri-lillian-smart-ruston-louisiana-lake-claiborne-health-department-cdc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">8-YEAR-OLD GIRL DIES FROM RARE INFECTION AFTER CONTRACTING BRAIN-EATING AMOEBA<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Naegleria fowleri is often referred to as the &#8220;brain-eating amoeba&#8221; because it can infect the brain and destroy brain tissue, according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/naegleria\/about\/?mc_cid=2cd86d17d3&amp;mc_eid=22def7855c\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>NCDHHS said the source of the case is still under investigation. However, the amoeba is naturally present in warm freshwater, such as ponds, lakes and rivers. Infections typically occur during prolonged hot weather, which raises water temperatures and lowers water levels.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/wlos.com\/news\/local\/guilford-county-man-dies-after-infected-by-brain-eating-amoeba-in-nc-lake-at-a-water-park\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">GUILFORD CO. MAN DIES AFTER INFECTED BY BRAIN-EATING AMOEBA IN NC LAKE AT WATER PARK<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Dr. Moore said that while infections like this are very rare, it&#8217;s important to remember that the Naegleria fowleri amoeba is present in North Carolina waters and across the United States.<\/p>\n<p>The amoeba doesn&#8217;t cause illness if swallowed but can be fatal if it enters the brain through the nose, which can happen while jumping into water, water-skiing or participating in other water activities, according to state health officials.<\/p>\n<p>Symptoms of Naegleria fowleri infection \u2014 also called primary amebic meningoencephalitis, or PAM \u2014 include severe headache, fever, nausea and vomiting, followed by a stiff neck, seizures and coma. Once symptoms appear, state officials say the disease progresses quickly and usually results in death within five days.<\/p>\n<p>Prevention<\/p>\n<p>NCDHHS said there is no way to eliminate the amoeba from the environment. However, the public can take steps to protect themselves:<\/p>\n<p>Prevent water going up your nose by holding your nose shut, use nose clips or keep your head above water when taking part in warm freshwater-related activities.Avoid putting your head underwater in hot springs and thermal waters.Avoid jumping or diving in warm freshwater during periods of high water temperatures and low water levels.Avoid digging in or stirring up the sediment while taking part in water-related activities in shallow, warm freshwater areas.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"RALEIGH, N.C. (WLOS) \u2014 Health officials in North Carolina confirm a teen in the central part of the&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":599696,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[163,521,85,46],"class_list":["post-599695","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-healthcare","tag-health","tag-healthcare","tag-il","tag-israel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/599695","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=599695"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/599695\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/599696"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=599695"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=599695"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=599695"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}