'Brain-eating amoeba' case confirmed in Louisiana

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting a confirmed infection of Naegleria fowleri, often referred to as a brain-eating amoeba, in a Louisiana resident.
The resident most likely acquired the infection while swimming in Lake Claiborne, located in Claiborne Parish, shortly before illness, the department said.
Naegleria fowleri is commonly found in warm freshwater lakes, rivers, canals, and ponds throughout the U.S. It can cause primary amebic meningoencephalitis, a brain infection that may result when water containing the amoeba rushes up the nose and reaches the brain. The infection is extremely rare, but nearly always fatal.
Naegleria fowleri cannot infect people if swallowed and is not spread from person to person. 
The amoeba is not found in salt water or in properly maintained and chlorinated pools.
Symptoms of Naegleria fowleri infection typically start with severe headache, fever, nausea and vomiting, and progress to stiff neck, seizures and coma that can lead to death. Symptoms usually begin about five days after infection but can start within one to 12 days.
Naegleria fowleri thrives in warm, fresh water and grows best at high temperatures up to 115 degrees.
Use caution when engaging in water-related activities in warm freshwater during periods of extended extreme heat.
 Naegleria fowleri usually occurs when temperatures increase for prolonged periods, resulting in higher water temperatures and lower water levels.
Swimmers can reduce their risk by keeping their heads out of the water and using nose clips or plugging their noses when going underwater.
Avoid submersing your head in hot springs and other untreated fresh thermal water. 
Avoid digging in or stirring up the sediment while taking part in water-related activities in shallow, warm, freshwater areas.
​Naegleria fowleri infections are rare, with only 180 known cases of PAM in the U.S. (between zero and eight cases annually) from 1937 through 2025. Louisiana had three Naegleria fowleri cases during that time period.