Saturday, September 29, 2007

Brain-eating amoeba kills swimmers


Just when you thought you might like to go swimming, news of a brain-eating amoeba that can swim up your nose and kill you. YIKES!

It's rare, but there's no treatment. This thing is for real. It's called Naegleria and there's a fact sheet from the CDC. Six people in the US have died this year. The nasty thing likes warm, standing water, so watch out if your nearby lake warms up. So far, it seems like a freshwater problem only.

No comments: