A woman contracted a fatal brain-eating ameba after rinsing her sinuses. Here’s how to avoid it

The 71-year-old developed “severe neurologic symptoms” after using a nasal irrigation device using non-boiled water

An elderly woman from Texas has died after contacting a brain-eating ameba from rinsing her sinuses, the Centers for Disease Control said (Centers for Disease Control/Dr. James Roberts, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta)

An elderly woman from Texas has died after contacting a brain-eating ameba from rinsing her sinuses, the Centers for Disease Control said.

Last Thursday, the CDC reported a previously healthy 71-year-old woman who developed “severe neurologic symptoms” after using a nasal irrigation device using non-boiled water from an RV’s water system at a Texas campground.

The woman experienced “fever, headache, and altered mental status” within 4 days of using the nasal irrigation device. Medial professionals suspected that she had a primary amebic meningoencephalitis, or PAM, infection.

She was treated for PAM, but developed seizures and then died 8 days after her first symptoms appeared, the CDC said.

An elderly woman from Texas has died after contacting a brain-eating ameba from rinsing her sinuses, the Centers for Disease Control said (Centers for Disease Control/Dr. James Roberts, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta)

PAM is a very rare, but almost always fatal, brain infection caused by brain-eating ameba known as Naegleria fowleri. Using tap water for nasal irrigation is a factor for PAM.

PAM usually infects fewer than 10 people a year in the U.S., but almost everyone who is infected dies from it. Out of the 164 known people who got infected with PAM in the U.S. from 1962 to 2023, only four survived.

The CDC confirmed that Naegleria fowleri was found in the woman’s cerebrospinal fluid. While the ameba was not found in the RV water supply, the water was “inadequately disinfected,” according to the CDC.

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While this case is rare, it brings awareness to the health risks associated with the misuse of nasal irrigation devices.

To keep yourself safe from potential sickness, use distilled, sterilized or boiled and cooled tap water when using a nasal irrigation device. The CDC says these recommended practices are “critical to reducing the risk for illness.”

Naegleria fowleri thrives in warm freshwater lakes, rivers and hot springs, so it’s important to take some actions to reduce the risk of exposure.

The CDC recommends holding your nose or wearing a nose clip when jumping or diving into fresh water.

You should also always keep your head above water in hot springs, according to the agency.

The CDC also advises against digging in shallow water as the ameba is more likely to live there.