A child has become critically ill from a very rare brain infection caused by a freshwater amoeba after swimming in Pope County’s Lake Minnewaska, the Minnesota Department of Health announced Tuesday evening.
Health officials believe the child, whose age was not released, developed primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), a rare form of meningitis caused by an amoeba known as Naegleria fowleri that is associated with warm, freshwater areas. The amoeba causes a severe brain infection that is almost always fatal. It infects humans by entering the body through the nose — typically while swimming — and cannot be contracted through drinking contaminated water.
Due to privacy laws, officials were unable to provide further details on the infected child’s condition, said MDH Waterborne Diseases Unit Supervisor Trisha Robinson.
Symptoms, including headaches, vomiting and nausea typically occur about five days after exposure. Although risk of infection from Naegleria is low, Robinson said there are a few tips for limiting your chances.
“While the only sure way to prevent PAM is to avoid participation in freshwater-related activities, you can reduce your risk by keeping your head out of the water, using nose clips or holding the nose shut, and avoiding stirring up sediment at the bottom of shallow freshwater areas,” she said.
This case is the first reported in the state since a 9-year-old boy died from the disease after swimming in Stillwater’s Lily Lake in 2012. A 7-year-old girl, who had also taken a dip in the shallow lake, succumbed to the illness in 2010.
Naegleria is commonly found all over the world. However, infections are very rare. Forty cases were reported in the United States from 2001 to 2011, nearly all in the South.
Prior to the 2010 Minnesota case, the infection had not been detected north of Missouri. That report broke the record by around 550 miles, Robinson said, and this infection is now the northernmost case on record in the country.
All Naegleria cases are confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which has no reliable test for the organism. Cases are more commonly diagnosed in children, Robinson said, because they are more likely to take part in outdoor activities that make them susceptible.
Notification is not routinely posted at lakes after single cases and will not be at Lake Minnewaska, about 50 miles west of St. Cloud, because officials say it is not an effective way to prevent illness.
“Water users in general should assume that Naegleria fowleri is present, or can be present, in any freshwater — particularly warm fresh water,” Robinson said. “Posting a sign at one body of water may give a misconception that bodies of water without a sign are Naegleria free, which is not true.”
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Liz Sawyer • 612-673-4648
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