A 16-month-old Arkansas boy died from a rare brain-eating amoeba at a splash park in Arkansas
After playing at the Country Club of Little Rock splash pad, Michael Alexander Pollock III died on September 4.
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Michael contracted "brain-eating" naegleria fowleri, according to the Arkansas Department of Health. At least five Americans have died from the sickness this year.
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Rare amoeba Naegleria fowleri thrives in warm freshwater lakes, rivers, and hot springs. The brain infection primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) is frequently deadly.
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Swimming or diving in contaminated water might introduce the amoeba through the nose. It then enters the brain via the olfactory nerve, causing inflammation and tissue damage.
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Its symptoms appear 1–12 days after infection. Fever, nausea, vomiting, and headache are early symptoms. Stiff neck, confusion, lack of focus, seizures, hallucinations can follow.
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Although PAM has no cure, early identification and treatment can increase survival. Drugs and surgery to remove contaminated tissue are usually used
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The Country Club of Little Rock stopped the splash pad while health officials examine the pollution.