A rare brain-eating amoeba that killed an Arkansas resident was traced to a country club’s splash pad, officials said Thursday.
Investigators concluded that the Naegleria fowleri infection stemmed from the Country Club of Little Rock, according to a press release from the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) tested samples from the pool and splash pad before one sample, from the splash pad, was confirmed to be a brain-eating amoeba. (RELATED: Brain-Eating Ameoba Threatens 13-Year-Old Boy’s Life)
The Country Club of Little Rock voluntarily closed its pool and splash pad until further notice, the press release noted.
An Arkansas resident has died after being infected with an extremely rare brain-eating amoeba that they were likely exposed to at a country club’s splash pad. https://t.co/07CRY0UnmQ
— CBS News (@CBSNews) September 15, 2023
Naegleria fowleri can be deadly, destroying brain tissue and triggering brain swelling. The brain-eating amoeba is not contagious and cannot cause infection if swallowed, the ADH said. Symptoms usually start five days after infection, initially including headache, fever, nausea and vomiting. Later symptoms include a stiff neck, seizures and coma, according to the ADH.
Naegleria fowleri typically thrives in soil and warm, fresh bodies of water. It is not found in salt water or properly treated drinking water. Pools and splash pads not properly treated are at risk of hosting the brain-eating amoeba, the press release said.
A Nevada toddler died after contracting Naegleria fowleri infection in July. Florida officials warned residents in March about the brain-eating amoeba after a man died from using contaminated water to cleanse his sinuses.