Zachary Reyna, a 12-year old boy from Hendry County, contracted a rare infection called primary amebic meningoencephalitis when he came into contact with an amoeba while playing in a water-filled ditch near his family’s home in Labelle.
He is now fighting for his life in Miami Children’s Hospital.
Health officials have said this brain-eating amoeba can be found in any fresh body of water.
Celeste Phillip with the Florida Department of Health said it’s commonly found here in Florida, and becomes a greater health risk during the hot summer.
“The way to minimize your risk is to keep your head above water, keep your nose closed, or use nose plugs if you suspect you might encounter water going into your face or your nose—because entering into the nose is how the amoeba enters the system and gets to the brain,” she said.
Phillip said symptoms can include a headache, fever, nausea, or vomiting—and eventually a stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, seizures, and hallucinations.
In the last decade, Phillip said 31 people have been infected by this type of amoeba. Seven were in Florida.
Only one out of the 128 people who have been infected in the U.S., since 1962, have survived.
