The death of a six-year-old American boy infected with
a brain-eating amoeba
whose trace has been found in the running water supply has forced the governor of
Texas
to declare a
state of emergency
Sunday afternoon.
Josiah McIntyre, 6, died on September 8 of an infection with the amoeba
Naegleria fowleri
, a microscopic organism that thrives in the warm, cool waters of lakes and rivers, as well as in poorly maintained springs and geothermal pools.
The amoeba enters the body through the nostrils and travels to the brain, causing severe migraines, hyperthermia, neck stiffness, and vomiting, before causing dizziness, lethargy, confusion, and hallucinations.
Investigators have found traces of the brain-eating organism in Josiah's family's garden hose tap, a
Lake Jackson
city spokesman was
quoted as saying by local media
on Saturday
.
Other traces have been found in a fountain in a civic center and in a fire hydrant in the city, an hour from
Houston
and overlooking the
Gulf of Mexico
, said
Modesto Mundo
, a city official.
The boy's grandparents have told the
Houston Chronicle
that the boy inhaled the contaminated water while playing in a downtown area of water jets, shortly before he fell ill.
Since then, the playground has closed and several cities in
Brazoria County
, where Lake
Jackson
is located
, have recommended this weekend that residents avoid using tap water for drinking, cooking and showering.
The warning was lifted Saturday night, but authorities are still asking residents to boil the water before using it.
From 1983 to 2010, Texas health authorities have tallied 28 deaths due to the amoeba
Naegleria fowleri
.
According to the criteria of The Trust Project
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