North Carolina Probes Teen's Amoeba Infection as Researchers Pursue $20 Freshwater Test
Updated
Updated · WRAL News · Aug 28
North Carolina Probes Teen's Amoeba Infection as Researchers Pursue $20 Freshwater Test
3 articles · Updated · WRAL News · Aug 28
Summary
Friday brought no public answers on where a central North Carolina teenager encountered Naegleria fowleri or whether the suspected water source is still in use, even as the teen remains critically ill.
NCDHHS said it is investigating all possible sources with the CDC and local health departments, but officials say the amoeba cannot be eliminated from natural freshwater and routine surveillance is not currently done.
UNC researcher Joe Brown said existing water tests are complex and expensive, and his team is working on a faster, cheaper test that could identify hot spots or spikes in the organism's presence.
Debra Moffat, whose 6-year-old son died from PAM in 2021, said a single water test can miss changing conditions and argued public awareness is one of the few practical defenses.
State guidance focuses on prevention—keeping warm freshwater out of the nose, avoiding diving and stirred-up sediment—as infection occurs when contaminated water enters the nose, not when it is swallowed.