Roofable

Amoeba

In September of this year we probably all heard about the amoeba in the lakes in Central Florida.

The amoeba is called Naegleria fowleri and thrives in warm, fresh water lakes. It has claimed the lives of at least 3 boys who had been playing in the lakes. The amoeba is extremely rare and almost always fatal. It enters the body through the nose and attacks the brain. It presents with flu-like symptoms that quickly worsen over 1 to 14 days until the patient lapses into a coma.

The Center for Disease Control in Atlanta, Georgia has only documented 24 cases of the deadly amoeba since 1989 and now Central Florida has seen three cases in one summer.

Even though the weather is going to be changing soon, please be careful if you’re playing in the lakes. The Orange County Health Department Director, Dr. Kevin Sherin, suggests that you wear a nose clip or stay out of the water warmer than 80 degrees.

A nice alternative to the warm, shallow lakes may be a visit to one of the colder freshwater springs in the Central Florida area.