{"id":1478,"date":"2017-07-11T12:37:01","date_gmt":"2017-07-11T12:37:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.enpress.com\/site\/?p=1478"},"modified":"2018-04-27T20:51:16","modified_gmt":"2018-04-27T20:51:16","slug":"brain-eating-amoeba-louisana-water-systems","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.enpress.com\/site\/brain-eating-amoeba-louisana-water-systems\/","title":{"rendered":"Tests Reveal “Brain-Eating Amoeba” in Louisiana Water Systems"},"content":{"rendered":"

WQP\u00a0Magazine recently reported<\/a>\u00a0that the Louisiana Department of Health confirmed the presence of Naegleria fowleri in two of the state’s water systems: Ouachita Parish\u2019s North Monroe Water System and Terrebonne Parish\u2019s Schriever Water System.<\/p>\n

Naegleria fowleri is a single-celled organism which occurs naturally\u00a0in freshwater. It also goes by the much more menacing name of “brain-eating amoeba”. That’s because Naegleria fowleri can cause primary amebic\u00a0meningoencephalitis\u00a0(PAM), a brain infection that is almost always fatal.<\/p>\n

Despite how scary that sounds,\u00a0the good news is that humans cannot be infected with Naegleria fowleri by simply\u00a0drinking water<\/strong>. So it safe for residents in the impacted areas of Louisiana to consume the water.<\/p>\n

So how does Naegleria infect people?\u00a0According to the CDC<\/a>:<\/p>\n

“Naegleria fowleri infects people when water containing the ameba enters the body through the nose.<\/span> This typically occurs when people go swimming or diving in warm freshwater places, like lakes and rivers. The Naegleria fowleri ameba then travels up the nose to the brain where it destroys the brain tissue.”<\/em><\/p>\n

While drinking water is still safe for residents, Louisiana health officials have urges residents to take some precautions<\/a>\u00a0to avoid getting water in the nose. These include:<\/p>\n