this post was submitted on 06 Jun 2025
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The woman contracted a fatal infection caused by a brain-eating amoeba and died eight days after developing symptoms.

A Texas woman died from an infection caused by a brain-eating amoeba days after she cleaned her sinuses using tap water, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention case report.

The woman, an otherwise healthy 71-year-old, developed "severe neurologic symptoms," including fever, headache and an altered mental status, four days after she filled a nasal irrigation device with tap water from her RV's water system at a Texas campsite, the CDC report said.

She was treated for primary amebic meningoencephalitis — a brain infection caused by Naegleria fowleri, often referred to as the "brain-eating amoeba." Despite treatment, the woman experienced seizures and died from the infection eight days after she developed symptoms, the agency said.

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[–] xeekei@lemmy.zip 4 points 1 month ago (11 children)

Can this happen in Sweden as well? 'Cos I clean mine with shower water almost every shower.

[–] Quexotic@infosec.pub 6 points 1 month ago (4 children)

Use distilled ONLY. With good chlorinated city water systems it's still very unlikely to happen, but it's such a horrible way to go, just get some distilled from the store.

[–] sem@lemmy.blahaj.zone 6 points 1 month ago (2 children)

The amoeba can survive chlorination, that's why boiled or distilled is necessary

[–] Quexotic@infosec.pub 1 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

If your city has brain eating amoeba in its water supply, I think you've probably got bigger shit to deal with. (See what I sis there, lol) Seriously though, yes. Distilled isn't expensive enough that you shouldn't be using it. Boiled city water still has enough chemicals in it to burn a bit.

Best to skip it.

[–] sem@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 14 hours ago

The amoeba is pretty common, it's just usually not a problem for stomach acids

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