Overview
- State health officials confirmed that the teenager died on Monday after a laboratory diagnosis of Naegleria fowleri and extended condolences to the family.
- The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services said it is working with the CDC and local health departments to investigate where the infection may have been acquired.
- The teen’s family publicly identified him in an online fundraiser but state officials withheld the patient’s identity to protect privacy while the probe continues.
- Naegleria fowleri causes primary amebic meningoencephalitis when contaminated warm freshwater is forced up the nose, and symptoms move from headache and fever to seizures and coma within days.
- Health officials say the infection is extremely rare but usually fatal, with fewer than 10 U.S. cases a year and about a 97% mortality rate, and they note warming surface waters may increase future exposure risk.