Amid COVID-19 Pandemic, Texas Reports Emergence Of Brain-Eating Amoeba

Texas: Amid COVID-19 Pandemic, the death of a six-year-old boy following an infection caused by a brain-eating amoeba has put the US state of Texas on high alert.

As per media reports, the boy was infected with a brain-eating amoeba called ‘Naegleria fowleri’ and succumbed to the disease on September 8. The brain-eating amoeba was found in his community’s water supply.

The Naegleria fowleri amoeba was usually found in warm, fresh water of lakes and poorly maintained swimming pools.

It enters the body through the nasal membranes and affects the brain, causing powerful migraine, hyperthermia, stiff neck and vomiting, then dizziness, extreme fatigue, confusion and hallucinations and cause life threating situation in extreme cases.

After a thorough investigation, traces of the amoeba was found in the tap of the garden hose at the boy’s house and in a fountain in the town centre, said a city official.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has issued a disaster declaration for the area following the death of the six-year-old child.