A Douglas County child died this week of a suspected infection with the rare brain-eating amoeba, possibly in the Elkhorn River, according to the health department. This is the first known case of its kind in the Omaha area. If confirmed, this is the first known death from the brain-eating amoeba in Nebraska, according to the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. The Douglas County Department of Health did not say exactly what part of the river the child was swimming only that he or she was in the water on Sunday. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is working to confirm it’s the same rare amoeba that showed up in a central Iowa lake this summer. It is found in fresh water, so health officials urge you to take precautions. The amoeba enters the body through the nose, usually when swimming or diving. Officials urge you to keep your head above water or hold your nose. The CDC said only four out of 154 people have survived the infection since 1962. Millions of recreational water exposures occur each year, while only 0 to 8 brain-eating amoeba infections are identified each year. , according to the Department of Health and Human Services. Dr. Mark Rupp, chief of infectious diseases at UNMC, says Nebraska Medicine is pre-stocking drugs that treat infections. seems to be more likely when this new drug, miltefosine, is used,” Rupp said.
A Douglas County child died this week of a suspected infection with the rare brain-eating amoeba, possibly in the Elkhorn River, according to the health department.
This is the first known case of its kind in the Omaha area. If confirmed, this is the first known death from the brain-eating amoeba in Nebraska, according to the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.
The Douglas County Health Department did not say which part of the river the child was swimming in, only that he was in the water on Sunday.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is working to confirm it’s the same rare amoeba that appeared in a central Iowa lake this summer.
It is found in fresh water, so health officials urge you to take precautions.
The amoeba enters the body through the nose, usually when swimming or diving. Authorities urge you to keep your head above water or hold your nose.
The CDC said only four out of 154 people have survived the infection since 1962. Millions of recreational water exposures occur each year, while only 0 to 8 brain-eating amoeba infections are identified each year, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.
UNMC infectious disease chief Dr. Mark Rupp says Nebraska Medicine is pre-stocking drugs that treat infections.
“A handful of cases that have been described where people have survived, and that seems to be more likely when this new drug, miltefosine, is used,” Rupp said.