Brain-eating amoeba case linked to warm water, drought

A 12-year-old girl contracted a rare infection caused by a brain-eating amoeba in Arkansas, and it may be tied to summer heat and drought conditions, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The amoeba, or single-celled organism, that caused the infection is called Naegleria fowleri, which lives in warm freshwater, such as lakes, rivers and hot springs. These organisms can travel up the nose to the brain and spinal cord as people swim or dive and can cause a deadly infection called Primary Amebic Meningoencephalitis (PAM).

The Arkansas Department of Heath said in a press release that the most likely source of the Arkansas infection is the Willow Springs Water Park, located south of Little Rock, Ark. Another case of PAM in 2010 is also believed to be connected to Willow Springs.

"Most of the cases occur in what we call the southern-tier states, and, in fact, about 50 percent of cases have occurred in Texas and Florida," Dr. Jennifer Cope, medical epidemiologist at the CDC, said.

Seems to me that they closed a local swimming sink hole not far from where I live a while back because of this problem or something real similar. The more you learn, the less fun this planet seems to be to live on.

Corrective medicines have weakened folks,which gives new foot holds to critters
we have lived with for centuries

Originally Posted by Metachrosis

Corrective medicines have weakened folks,which gives new foot holds to critters
we have lived with for centuries

Well, maybe. But seems to me that people have ALWAYS been dying from something throughout history. I've actually been inclined to think that maybe human beings aren't really long term natives of this planet. You would think that over the millennia, human beings and the rest of nature would have reached some sort of equilibrium by now. It's really not in the best interests of most pathogens to kill off their hosts, or give them reason to avoid or try to shed the infections. A healthy mobile carrier with asymptomatic infections would likely be the best survival vehicle for such pathogens to spread to other hosts.

True Rich. I believe humans was we know them now will expire way before many other creatures have. Metachrosis is also correct. Things we could naturally fight off before or only needed slight intervention we now have to keep reinventing medicines that work.