COLUMBIA, S.C. — Health officials in South Carolina have confirmed that a child who contracted a brain-eating amoeba earlier this month has died.
The South Carolina Department of Public Health confirmed a case of Naegleria fowleri that was first reported to them during the week of July 7.
[RELATED: How to avoid the brain-eating amoeba sometimes found in warm freshwater lakes]
Doctors at Prisma Health Children’s Hospital - Midlands in Columbia, S.C. confirmed to WJCL that one of its patients recently died from the amoeba. No other details about the child were released.
According to the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the amoeba infects the brain and destroys brain tissue.
The CDC says that Naegleria fowleri thrives in warm bodies of fresh water.
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The CDC says that since 1962, there have been 167 cases reported, and just four of those people have survived.
Typically, fewer than 10 people are infected by the amoeba each year.
In July 2023, a Georgian became infected with Naegleria fowleri and died.
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