A man in Charlotte County, South Florida, died from a brain-eating infection last month after using tap water during sinus rinses.
The unnamed man died on February 20, three days before the county health department issued a public alert about the infection.
The infection possibly resulted from ‘sinus rinse practices utilizing tap water,’ according to a news release from the Florida Department of Health in Charlotte County. The release was issued in February to alert the public about the infection.
Infection with Naegleria fowleri ‘can only happen when water contaminated with amoebae enters the body through the nose,’ according to the department’s news release.
The amoeba can cause an infection of the brain known as primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) – a condition that does not have any known effective treatments.
Symptoms of brain-eating amoeba generally start one to nine days after nasal exposure and many people die within 18 days of showing symptoms, according to the CDC.
These include severe headaches, fever, nausea and vomiting in the first stage and stiff neck, seizures, altered mental status, hallucinations and a coma in the second stage.
In a statement to FOX 4, the CDC said this is the first case ever in Florida where a person was infected through tap water, and the first ever case reported in winter months in the U.S.
It’s also the first reported case of Naegleria fowleri infection this year.
According to the CDC, the infection kills over 97% of the people who contract it. Out of 154 known infected individuals in the United States from 1962 to 2021, only four confirmed patients have survived the infection.
The Florida Department of Health in Charlotte County warned residents to only use distilled or sterile water when making sinus rinse solutions.
Tap water should be boiled for at least a minute and cooled before using it for sinus rinsing, which typically involves a neti pot.
Tap water that has not been sterilized isn’t safe to use as a nasal rinse since it’s not adequately filtered or treated, and so it may contain low levels of microorganisms, such as bacteria and protozoa, including amoebas, according to the US Food and Drug Administration’s website.
People cannot be infected by drinking tap water, as stomach acid typically kills those organisms. CNN reports.
The CDC said the amoeba typically lives in warm, freshwater bodies like lakes, rivers and hot springs.
It is also likely to be found living in sediment at the bottom of lakes, ponds and rivers, so the agency advises against digging in or stirring up soil in shallow, warm fresh water.
