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A Florida boy is said to have been hospitalized after swimming at a local beach after being infected with a brain-eating amoeba, also known as Naegleria fowleri, a potentially deadly parasite that attacks brain tissue. I’m here.
Caleb Siegelbauer, 13, was visiting Port Charlotte Beach Park with his family in early July, according to a GoFundMe recently launched by his aunts Katie Chiet and Elizabeth Siegelbauer.
Five days after the visit, Caleb reported a headache and a day later had a fever, the post said.
He was reportedly taken to Golisano Children’s Hospital in Southwest Florida. Myers on Saturday, July 9th.
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Charlotte County’s Florida Department of Health told Fox News Digital that as of July 26, there have been no confirmed positive cases of Amoeba naegleria fowleri in Charlotte County, where Caleb allegedly swam. .
Chiet and Ziegelbaur write that Caleb was first diagnosed with meningitis – which shares similarities with the amoeba Naegleria fowleri – but later doctors believed he had become a “brain-eating” amoeba. Post claimed that he had discovered he was infected.
According to his aunt, Caleb was placed in the hospital’s pediatric intensive care unit.
Fox News Digital reached out to media representatives at Lee Health, the health care system that operates Golisano Children’s Hospital in Southwest Florida, for comment.
The hospital declined to comment because of HIPAA.
Caleb began protocol treatment set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for Amoeba naegleria fowleri on Sunday, July 10. This included sedation and intubation.
“[He] Tiet and Ziegelbauer wrote to GoFundMe: It’s our way home. “
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Caleb’s parents, brother and sister appear to be “safe” and free of parasites.
By Sunday, July 24, Caleb reportedly received a chest x-ray and a unit of blood, according to a GoFundMe status update. It looks like she is still in therapy.
Fox News Digital reached out to Chiet and Ziegelbaur for comment.
Naegleria fowleri is a common amoeba found in warm freshwater and soil, according to the CDC.
According to the CDC, humans are usually infected after swimming or diving in lakes, rivers, and hot springs. Improperly chlorinated pools can also be a culprit, but are less common.
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Amoebas thrive in warm temperatures (up to 115 degrees Fahrenheit) and enter the body through the nose when a person’s head is submerged in water.
Naegleria fowleri feeds on other organisms, such as bacteria, so amoebas may attack brain tissue if they are not detected.
“Initial symptoms [Naegleria fowleri] According to the CDC, it begins about 5 days after infection (range 1-12 days). Initial symptoms may include headache, fever, nausea, or vomiting. Subsequent symptoms include stiff neck, confusion, inability to pay attention to people and surroundings, loss of balance, seizures, and hallucinations. “
“After symptoms begin, the disease progresses rapidly, usually leading to death within about 5 days (range 1-18 days),” the CDC continued.
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Health officials state that “outbreaks of Naegleria fowleri are common and infections are rare,” but recreational water users should assume that Naegleria is present in warm freshwaters throughout the country. .
Of the 154 recorded cases of Naegleria fowleri in the United States, amoeba mortality exceeds 97%, according to the CDC.
Chiet and Ziegelbaur write that the family hopes Caleb can fight the infection. They started a GoFundMe to “lighten the burden” on his parents remaining at his bedside.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Charlotte County for comment regarding the presence of Naegleria fowleri in the waters of Port Charlotte Beach Park.
According to the CDC, the likelihood of contracting Naegleria fowleri is reduced by avoiding warm fresh water, swimming above water if unavoidable, and wearing a nose clip or keeping your nose closed while swimming. said to be able to reduce the possibility of
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You should also avoid digging or stirring sediments in bodies of water.