A teenager from Westerville, Ohio, has died after contracting a "brain-eating" amoeba on a trip outside of the state, according to a local NBC affiliate.
Naegleria fowleri, the amoeba responsible for a deadly infection known as primary amoebic meningoencephalitis, is commonly found in warm fresh water. Infection occurs only when the amoeba enters the body through the nose — an infection cannot occur from ingesting drinking water.
The 18-year-old girl contracted the condition while swimming on a church trip. Jim Wilson, senior pastor at Church of the Messiah United Methodist Church in Westerville, told NBC4 that the only place the group came into contact with a body of warm water was when they went whitewater rafting at the U.S. National Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C. Officials from the center and health officials from Mecklenburg County in North Carolina have reportedly met to discuss the case.
Learn more about the Naegleria fowleri and PAM here.
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