CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) – After a person lost their life contracting a brain infection from an amoeba in the Midlands, a Lowcountry doctor and father of another victim wants to educate people on the situation.
The scientific name for the amoeba is Naegleria fowleri, and it causes primary amebic meningoencephalitis.
Stephen Thacker is an infectious disease specialist at the Medical University of South Carolina Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital.
“Naegleria fowleri is a pretty rare disease once it reaches humans, but we know there’s a few cases each year in the U.S., about 10 or so. We certainly have had cases in South Carolina before,” Thacker says.
State health experts assure people that there is no elevated risk in Lake Murray where the July 22 case happened, or in any other waterways.
“It takes a sequence of events that creates the risk for this really devastating and extremely rare outcome,” Thacker says.
The amoeba lives in freshwater and the dirt of freshwater sources. It thrives particularly when water temperatures are very warm, so the small risk of contraction is slightly elevated in the summer months with high water temperatures.
“Just drinking the water or being exposed to the water itself is generally not a high risk for acquiring this infection. It’s when we force that water into our nose and sometimes into our mouth with a lot of force, with actions like jumping or diving,” Thacker says.
While it’s rare, those that it happens to know the devastation of losing a loved one quickly to the brain infection cause. Dunn Hollingsworth of Mount Pleasant lost his daughter Liza to primary amebic meningoencephalitis.
“Liza died 15 years ago, just two weeks ago. And really, the knowledge about primary amoebic meningitis and what causes it, how it’s contracted, the risk of it being out there and where it is and how you can get it, all that has really come a long way in the last 15 years,” Hollingsworth says.
Now, Hollingsworth knows, there’s little mitigation that can be done since the amoeba exists in most waterways, but he is always working at educating others.
“The amoeba doesn’t live in saltwater, so you’re not going to get this going to the beach. We have the luxury of that ability in Charleston that not everyone has, not just in South Carolina, but you know, everywhere else, most people jump in ponds and rivers and lakes all over the place, and 99.99999% of the time, nothing ever happens,” Hollingsworth says.
“If you’re going to partake in that type of recreational activity, consider using nose clips, or try to keep your head above water when you’re in ponds, lakes or rivers in the southeast, when it’s warm. And for folks that have pools, just making sure that you’re having good chlorination in the pools and splash pads around,” Thacker says.
Hollingsworth says those things are front of mind for him and his family now.
“With our youngest child, the daughter we had after Liza, we were certain at summer camp, if you’re going to swim in the lake, you know, wear a nose clip, hold your nose. It’s something we certainly are aware of. And that’s really the best advice you could give to people, just to be careful,” Hollingsworth says.
Even though the unthinkable happened to his family, Hollingsworth gives simple advice, knowing the risk remains small, but there’s no harm in being informed and following the safest practices.
“It’s not something that people should be alarmed that every time I go into a fresh body of water, I’m taking my life into my own hands. It isn’t like that. But as I say, you know, if lightning strikes and people say, ‘Oh, lightning strikes never happen.’ Well, if they happen to you, it’s something that you’re aware of. So certainly we are very cognizant of it at my house,” Hollingsworth says.
He describes his daughter Liza as outgoing and says it’s still emotional to talk about her. He continues to do so because that is how he brings awareness to the issue. He also invites those affected to join him in a nationwide support group that tackles grief together, if they find it helpful.
Thacker notes that survival rates of the infection are low, but the good news is how rare the issue is. Thacker says the more people are aware and keep their heads above water if they are worried, the better.
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