• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Minnesota from Scratch

Thanks for stopping by! I'm Stephanie Thurow / MinnesotafromScratch and this is my website. I'm a food preservation instructor and bestselling author of Can It & Ferment It, WECK Small-Batch Preserving and WECK Home Preserving. My fourth book, Small-Scale Homesteading, is now available for pre-order! Join me here for info on food preservation, recipes, organic gardening, chicken keeping, urban homesteading and so much more.

  • Home
  • About Stephanie
  • Order my books
  • Nav Social Menu

    Connect with Me!

    • Amazon
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube

Naegleria Fowleri: The Freshwater Amoeba That KILLS – Please Read

July 24, 2013 by Stephanie 8 Comments

Reported cases of PAM by state in 2012.  Source

Reported cases of PAM by state in 2012.
Source

Our family went swimming at a local lake over the weekend. It was my daughter’s first time swimming in the lake and I made sure she had her nose plug on at all times. Whenever she went in the water I required her to wear it, ESPECIALLY when she was near the shore where the water is warmer. She was the only person on a crowded beach with a nose plug on. Many people laughed and stared. I figured they were looking at her because she looked so darn cute and her little pink nose plug made her resemble Rudolph a tad. But I felt that some of the people were giggling and talking quietly to another was because she was wearing a nose plug.

The water was so warm the day we went swimming. The 6 day heatwave had just ended and my husband made the comment that the water was warmer than bathwater.  I was disappointed to see that not one other person was protecting their nose, but then it dawned on me that perhaps no one else was aware of the potential harm that could lurk in the water. Therefore, I decided to devote a blog post to the deadly freshwater amoeba: Naegleria Fowleri in hopes to bring some awareness to this 100% preventable killer amoeba.

This particular amoeba lives in freshwater: lakes, rivers, ponds and hot springs. But can also live in pool water if it is not chlorinated properly. Have you ever used a neti-pot before? Did you know that you are only supposed to use distilled or boiled water that has been cooled down? Well that is because of the potential harm of this amoeba. When water heats up near 80º F, the amoeba thrives and if it enters through a nose (adult or child), the amoeba travels to the brain and causes a fatal brain infection called Primary Amebic Meningoencephalitis (PAM).

Initial symptoms are similar to meningitis and the flu and usually occur 5-7 days after contact, but once the symptoms hit, death occurs just 3-5 days later due to the rapid progression of PAM. Symptoms are not limited to, but could include: Fever, changes in taste,  stiff neck, headache, vomiting, confusion, loss of balance, hallucinations or seizures. There is no cure for PAM and it is completely preventable if you are safe. If you look up Naegleria Fowleri on the internet, it is likely that you will find information about it being “rare”, but the truth is that it is common for a misdiagnosis to occur and therefore it is not properly recorded.

When water is warm (I’d say above 70ºF just to be safe, because it can still be present once the water cools), be sure to wear a nose plug or facial mask to keep your nose guarded or just avoid the water all together. The amoeba can enter your nose even without your face being submerged; splashing around in the water can still cause the amoeba to enter your nose.

I first became aware of Naegleria Fowleri when I saw a posting about a family that lost their 7 year old son to this amoeba. They have since dedicated their lives to making people aware of the potential risks of swimming without a nose plug or mask. To read more about this family’s story, visit Kyle Cares. There is also additional info about the amoeba as well.

Currently, there is a 12 year old girl in Arkansas that is suffering from the “rare parasitic meningitis”. Please send positive vibes in her direction, she needs them now more than ever. Here is a link to that story: Kali

Let’s make as many people aware Naegleria Fowleri as possible! Please pin this, share it on facebook, tweet it, blog about it, whatever you have to do to save another person from dying from such a preventable death.

Protect yourself and your family by keeping it plugged!

Take care, Stephanie

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: freshwater amoeba, lake bug makes you sick, Naegleria Fowleri, PAM, parasites in the water, Primary Amebic Meningoencephalitis, sick after swimming

Harvest Right

https://affiliates.harvestright.com/1340.html

Seeds for Generations

Vegetable Garden Planning Training- Get the Most out of your Garden this Year

Mountain Rose Herbs

http://aspireiq.go2cloud.org/aff_c?offer_id=24&aff_id=9294

Nakano Knives

https://nakano-knives.com/mfromscratch

Use code MFROMSCRATCH at checkout for a special discount!

Previous Post: « Organic Cucumber-Tomato-Red Onion Summer Harvest Salad
Next Post: Kiwi Crate Review: Summer Discovery Series – Nature Explorer Theme »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Laura says

    July 24, 2013 at 8:33 am

    Thanks for the information, I had no idea!

    Reply
  2. sandy says

    July 24, 2013 at 8:48 am

    Wow Thanks for the Information. I had no idea!

    Reply
  3. Sofia Byrd says

    July 24, 2013 at 1:16 pm

    I’ve never heard about this before!! I live in WA and the water is always cold (even on our hottest day). But it is nice to be aware of such dangers in the water.

    Reply
  4. Autumn Eaton says

    July 24, 2013 at 8:38 pm

    wow! I have heard of this before but didn’t realize it was such a problem. Thanks for the tips to stay safer in the water

    Reply
  5. BJ says

    July 26, 2013 at 11:25 am

    Scary! I’ll spread the word.

    Reply
    • Steph/MNFromScratch (@StephLovesToCan) says

      August 1, 2013 at 7:42 am

      Please do!

      Reply
  6. Alison @ Get Your Pretty On says

    July 30, 2013 at 10:08 am

    Thanks so much for sharing this! We live in Texas which has one of the highest reported cases and I had no clue. My sister lives near a lake and I’m going to be very hesitant to allow the girls to swim in it now.

    Reply
    • MinnesotaFromScratch says

      July 30, 2013 at 3:01 pm

      Yeah, it is really scary. Just make them wear nose plugs and keep their head above water. We are headed to the water park this week and I guess there have been two cases from a water park because the water was not chemically treated properly… luckily it isn’t the park we are headed but geez, you think of anyplace would get it right it would be a water park! Spread the word so more people become aware.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

FEATURED POSTS

Archives

  • November 2022
  • May 2020
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • January 2019
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • November 2017
  • August 2017
  • April 2017
  • November 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • October 2015
  • May 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • September 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013

Footer

WELCOME

Hi, I'm Stephanie. I'm the best selling author of Can It & Ferment It, WECK Small-Batch Preserving and WECK Home Preserving. My fourth book, Small-Scale Homesteading, is now available for pre-order! I'm a certified master food preserver, food preservation instructor, organic gardener, chicken keeper and nature lover. I specialize in creating easy to follow recipes and directions to help other homesteaders meet their goals.

Copyright © 2023 · Midnight theme