Child dies of brain-eating amoeba after visit to hot spring, Nevada officials say

Don Sweeney
·1 min read

A brain-eating amoeba killed a Nevada child possibly exposed during a visit to a hot spring, state health officials reported.

The child died following a trip to Ash Springs, a natural hot spring on federal land in Lincoln County, the state Division of Public and Behavioral Health said in a July 20 news release.

Testing by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed Naegleria fowleri, commonly called a brain-eating amoeba, as the cause of death, officials said.

A Facebook post by the child’s family identified him as 2-year-old Woodrow Turner Bundy, who died after seven days of illness.

Naegleria fowleri is a microscopic single-cell amoeba that occurs naturally in the environment, health officials said. It can cause brain infections leading to death.

“Naegleria fowleri lives in soil and warm fresh water, such as lakes, rivers, and hot springs,” the release said. “The ameba infects people by entering the body through the nose and traveling to the brain. It is not spread from person to person.”

Symptoms of an infection include “severe headache, fever, nausea and vomiting and progress to stiff neck, seizures, and coma that can lead to death.”

There is no way to eliminate the amoeba from water, officials said.

Naegleria fowleri infections in the U.S. are rare, according to the CDC. Between 2013 and 2022, a total of 29 cases were reported. Infections occur mostly during the months of July, August and September.

The CDC advises you to avoid jumping into warm fresh water, especially in summer, avoid putting your head underwater in hot springs and avoid digging or stirring up sediment in warm, fresh water.

Lincoln County is about 160 miles northeast of Las Vegas, near the Utah border.

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