Nine-year-old Christian Strickland is the most recent victim of the virulent organism. He is suspected to have been infected by the amoeba at a fishing camp near his Henrico County home.
“Sadly, we have had a Naegleria infection in Virginia this summer,” Dr. Keri Hall, state epidemiologist at the Virginia Department of Health said in a statement, “It’s important that people be aware …”
Naegleria fowleri enters the body through the nose and destroys brain tissue, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The bug causes primary amoebic meningoencephalitis, a nearly always fatal disease of the central nervous system.
Naegleria fowleri breeds in stagnant water in freshwater lakes, ponds and rivers. It can also be found in wells.
Read more at MSNBC.com.
