Dies after being infected with the 'brain-eater' amoeba in a US lake: it is the second case in two weeks

An individual who has not yet been identified has died in Georgia, United States, after being infected with the Naegleria fowleri amoeba, commonly known as the 'brain-eater' amoeba, the British newspaper Daily Mail reported on Monday.

The event has also been confirmed by the Georgia State Department of Public Health.. Although at the moment the authorities do not detail at what point it has occurred exactly, they assure that this person has been infected while swimming in a lake or in a freshwater pond.

It is also the second case that has occurred in two weeks, since another two-year-old boy died on July 26 in the state of Nevada due to infection with this same amoeba and also by bathing in a contaminated pool in which he was with his family.

This type of organism is found precisely in lakes, rivers, ponds and sources of fresh and warm water, according to the health authorities.. The way this amoeba enters our body is through the nose and can cause a brain infection known as primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM).

Once inside our body, the symptoms usually appear after five days: intense headache, fever, nausea and vomiting are the most common, although if the disease is in an advanced state, hallucinations and convulsions begin to appear.. The death of who is affected by this amoeba usually occurs five days after starting to have the first symptoms.

For the moment, although the health authorities assure that the risk of becoming infected is low, they have advised citizens to avoid bathing in fresh water. Since 1965 this amoeba has affected 150 people in the United States, of which only five have survived.