A potentially deadly brain-eating amoeba has been discovered in the St. Bernard Parish Water System that serves more than 44,000 people, and the system is being purified, state health officials said.
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The state notified local officials late Wednesday and requested that the parish raise chlorine levels in the water system for 60 days – a formula that officials say has been successful at eliminating the amoeba elsewhere. Fewer than 10 deaths in the United States have been traced back to the ameba, with three occurring in Louisiana over the last several years.
Naegleria fowleri infections are extremely rare and testing for the amoeba in public drinking water is still relatively new and evolving, health officials said. Five other areas tested negative for the creature and one site failed to meet the required level of disinfectant. That’s how the amoeba is transferred to the brain.
Peralta said contaminated water did not enter the entire parish water system. Public health experts contended at the time that insufficient chlorine levels likely contributed to the presence of the amoeba in parts of St. Bernard’s water supply.
Naegleria fowleri causes a disease called primary amebic meningoencephalitis, which is a brain infection that leads to the destruction of brain tissue.
“We suspect that something struck the sampling station and cracked the pipe in the sampling station, not the main water line”, said Peralta.
In its early stages, symptoms of PAM may be similar to bacterial meningitis.
The microscopic creature was found both at a water treatment facility and at a site near 948 Angela Street.
Chlorination kills the amoeba, which can multiply in warm water. Parents should not allow their children to fully submerge their heads in water, she added.
The boy who died in 2013, Drake Smith Jr., apparently contracted the Naegleria fowleri amoeba on a Slip “N” Slide at a mobile home.
The proper way of using these pools is washing them properly after use, disinfecting them and leaving them out to dry completely.
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Neti pots should be filled with water that was boiled and cooled or sterile saline solution, as filling these with contaminated water would constitute high risk behavior. Do not top off the pool by placing the hose in the body of the pool.
