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, often 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.
Dr. Anna Kathryn Burch, a pediatric infectious disease physician at Prisma Health Children's Hospital in the Midlands, 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, rivers, ponds and hot springs, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Burch said the highest risk is when it's the hottest outside.
"It (the amoeba) definitely likes very, very hot water," Burch said.
She said the amoeba cannot live in salt water or brackish water.
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.
Burch said infection can occur due to the right timing and the right amount of water pressure up the nose.
"We shouldn't be afraid to be in lakes and rivers, and those kinds of things. Again, it's a big part of what South Carolinians do," Burch said. "I just think that you need to be safe when you go into those bodies of water. If that means that, you know, your kids are a little bit young and you might not be able to have those conversations with them, then maybe the nose plugs might be the best way to go."
There are cases where someone has gotten an infection from an amoeba in tap water.
Burch said, however, people cannot get an infection from this amoeba via drinking it.
" But what you can get is an infection if you use tap water in nasal irrigation systems, like Neti Pots or other kinds devices where you can clean or rinse out your nose, you should never use tap water in those devices," Burch said. "If you do use tap water, it needs to be boiled at least one minute and let it cool back down to room temperature before you use the water. Or you can always use distilled water or sterile water in those devices as well."
