Kerala teenager dies of lethal ‘brain eating amoeba’: What is it and how it spreads

livemint.com:

single-cell organism that can be only observed through microscopes and is found in warm freshwater bodies such as lakes, rivers, hot springs as well as soil. The organism can also be rarely found in public places like poorly maintained swimming pools, water parks, etc. The experts claim that Naegleria fowleri cannot survive in saline conditions and hence is not found in seas.

Naegleria fowleri enters humans usually through the nose and then travels to the brain. It can infect human beings while they are diving or jumping in water bodies as the water enters our noses in those conditions. The infection causes a serious brain infection called primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM).

Once infected there is a 97% fatality rate with very rare chances of surviving. Most of the patients die within days of catching the infection. "Infection with Naegleria fowleri is EXTREMELY RARE and can only happen when water contaminated with amoebae enters the body through the nose," the Florida Department of Health said.

The initial symptoms will be headaches, nausea, vomiting, etc and in the advanced stages, the symptoms can intensify to altered mental status, hallucinations, and even coma. For now, there is no vaccine for the brain-eating amoeba and the doctors use a combination of drugs like amphotericin B, azithromycin, fluconazole, rifampin, miltefosine, and dexamethasone. 1.

Avoid warm waterbodies 2. Clean your nose with sterile water 3. Use nose clips while entering water bodies 4.