Health officials have confirmed a case of brain-eating amoeba in South Carolina.
The state's Department of Public Health said it was notified of one case of Naegleria fowleri, also called a brain-eating amoeba, in South Carolina the week of July 7.
It is South Carolina's first case this year, and the state's first case since 2016. Nationwide, only 167 cases have been reported in the past 62 years, the department said.
Later Tuesday, the public health department said the exposure occurred at Lake Murray.
According to multiple media reports, Prisma Health Children's Hospital confirmed a Midlands patient recently died as a result of the infection.
Naegleria fowleri is a free-living amoeba that lives in warm freshwater, such as lakes and rivers, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Infections are serious and rare, but are nearly always fatal, the CDC said.
Limiting the amount of water that enters the nose can help reduce the risk of infection.
The CDC said it's often called a brain-eating amoeba because it can infect the brain and destroy brain tissue.
The person's condition is unknown.
South Carolina's public health department said it does not track infections from the amoeba, and does not provide information or comment on individual cases.
That includes the person's condition, the department said.
This is a developing story. It will be updated.
