Newsroom, Features, & Announcements

Title: CDC Supplies Drug to Treat Teen with Brain-eating Amoeba (August 29, 2015)
Summary: A drug that has been successful in treating a rare, deadly parasitic infection has been made available to a Houston teen who is battling Naegleria fowleri.

Title: MDH Statement: Laboratory Testing Rules Out Ameba as Cause of Illness in Child (August 10, 2015)
Summary: CDC testing confirmed Minnesota child did not die from suspected Primary Amebic Meningoencephalitis (PAM), but instead from streptococcal meningoencephalitis.

Title: How ‘Brain-Eating’ Amoebas Kill (August 10, 2015)
Summary: For people infected with N. fowleri, the immune system may prove the primary cause of death.

Title: Five Things to Know About ‘Brain-Eating’ Amoebas (August 10, 2015)
Summary: The microbes aren’t rare, but here’s why dangerous infections from them are.

July 24, 2015

• Naegleria fowleri, a brain-eating ameba found in warm freshwater, can enter the body through the nose and cause primary amebic meningoencephalitis, leading to brain swelling and death.
• An investigational drug available from the CDC Drug Service helped treat the first American since 1978 to survive illness from Naegleria fowleri.
• Swimmers can lower their risk of infection by following these tips when swimming in warm freshwater lakes, rivers, and hot springs, where most US infections have occurred.

Title: CDC Offers Hope in Fighting Brain-Eating Ameba (June 23, 2015)
Summary: An investigational drug helped treat the first American since 1978 to survive illness from Naegleria fowleri.

Title: BRA Warns of Swimming Health Risks (June 10, 2015)
Summary: Texas lake and river swimmers reminded of potential health risks.