12-year-old boy dies from brain-eating amoeba after swimming

A 12-year-old boy died after he contracted a brain-eating amoeba whereas swimming in a South Carolina lake.

Jaysen Carr got here into contact with the lethal amoeba Naegleria fowleri at Lake Murray, a big man-made lake simply exterior of Columbia, his household introduced Thursday. He died on died on July 18.

“Jaysen’s family is grieving this unthinkable loss, but they are also grateful at the outpouring of love and support they have received from the community,”  the household’s legal professional, Tyler Bailey, told WIS-TV in a statement. 

“The family has many questions about how and why Jaysen died and wants to do everything in their power to ensure this doesn’t happen to another family.”

The South Carolina Department of Public Health emphasised Jaysen’s dying just isn’t a part of a wider public well being emergency and confused that whereas the single-cell organism is of course occurring in most heat our bodies of water, human an infection may be very uncommon, based on WIS-TV.

This is the primary case of Naegleria fowleri within the Palmetto State since 2016.

Nationwide, there have solely been 167 instances reported prior to now 62 years — however solely 4 of these survived, according to the CDC.

The organism is dubbed the “brain-eating amoeba” as a result of it may infect the mind and destroy tissue, the company stated. Infections sometimes happen after swimming in a lake, river, or different contemporary water throughout summer season months when the water ranges are low and temperatures are sizzling.

If water containing the amoeba goes up the nostril and to the mind, it may trigger an an infection referred to as main amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) — which generally results in coma and dying inside 5 days, based on the CDC.

Jaysen’s funeral has been scheduled for Saturday. The Carr household has launched a GoFundMe to cowl the sudden prices of medical and funeral bills.

“He was an incredible son, a devoted brother, and a true friend to everyone who knew him. His kind heart and bright spirit left a lasting impact on everyone he met,” organizers wrote on the fundraiser web page.