Child dies from brain-eating amoeba in South Carolina

A pediatric patient in a South Carolina hospital has died from a rare brain-eating amoeba.

The Prisma Health Children's Hospital patient recently died after contracting Naegleria fowleri, which infects the brain and destroys tissue, Pediatric Infectious Disease Physician Anna Kathryn Burch said Tuesday.

The hospital declined to share more details about the patient, and officials have not said where the infection occurred. State authorities say there is no broader risk to the public.

A case of Naegleria fowleri was confirmed in South Carolina during the week of July 7, according to the state’s Department of Public Health. There have been only 167 reported cases of the infection in the US between 1962 and 2024, the CDC reports. However, just four people have survived the infection.

The CDC does not track infections from the amoeba, nor does it provide information about or comment on individual cases, DPS told WIS in a statement.

Naegleria fowleri naturally lives in warm freshwater environments such as lakes, rivers, hot springs, and poorly maintained or unchlorinated pools. It thrives in temperatures between 80 and 115 degrees Fahrenheit and is more prevalent in the warmer months, especially in southern states.

People become infected when contaminated water enters the body through the nose, typically while swimming or diving in warm freshwater. Once in the nose, the amoeba travels to the brain, where it causes a severe and often fatal brain infection called primary amebic meningoencephalitis.

Naegleria fowleri cannot infect a person if the water is swallowed, and it does not spread from person to person.

This isn’t the first death involving Naegleria fowleri this year. In May, a previously-healthy 71-year-old woman from Texas died from an infection caused by the amoeba after using tap water from her RV in a nasal irrigation device.

Infection is extremely rare otherwise - but it is almost always fatal. Symptoms usually begin within one to 12 days of exposure and may include headache, fever, nausea, vomiting, stiff neck, seizures, and altered mental state.

To reduce risk, experts advise avoiding freshwater activities during high temperatures, using nose clips, and avoiding putting your head underwater in warm freshwater.

The Independent has contacted the DPS and CDC for comment.