BRAIN EATING AMEOBA

[njmr2fan]

How concerned is everyone, (anyone) about the brain eating ameoba that's got these kids infected and fighting for their lives after swimming in freshwater lakes? I understand it's rare, but my wife is sick over it since our guys love swimming in the lake and the waters always over 80°

 

[justason]

negative zero

has there been an outbreak someplace? this sounds like a perfect item for the press to run with like its a plague

 

[Trm1765]

The last one I heard everyone on the bandwagon about in Minnesota turned out not to be any amoeba at all.... just abunch of people talking before they had the facts. The media takes these stories and blows them out of proportion and then the public takes that information as fact, especially if it is on the internet.

Tell your wife to go swimming and have a great time.

http://www.startribune.com/teen-s-death-after-swimming-was-not-caused-by-water-amoeba/321304171/

 

[TechRider]

3 cases this year. Here is the latest one http://www.msn.com/en-us/health/med...t-brain-eating-amoeba/ar-BBm81uc?ocid=UP94DHP

Makes you think about whats in the lake.

You would think they could test for it and report on it if it's found.

So sad for the kid and family.

 

[txav8r]

These parasites are in every body of water. I don't give it much thought. But...I don't like the shallow coves where water doesn't get changed over either. My favorite anchorages are always where a channel that has fresh feed is nearby. My reason is the water is cooler when a deep channel runs close. I don't do that for more than comfort and clarity, but I expect it is less stagnate than a creek without fresh feed. I wouldn't worry so much about it. Have the kids wear nose plugs if it is a fear.

 

[Trm1765]

I can tell you for fact that one of the "already seen two well-publicized cases of it this year" that was mentioned in that msn article is the Minnesota case I mentioned. Not true at all, there was no ameoba. I am not sure what the other one is, they didn't elaborate either, poor reporting. I won't even begin to talk about the medical incompitance in this world, that is a entire different subject.

 

[john94si]

Its always more of a concern if FL as we have warm lakes. I think about it but my kids still tube a few times a week. i live on a lake and we love it. We cant live in fear. Think how many people swim daily in rivers and lakes with zero issues.

 

[tdonoughue]

I think if you run the statistics on this, you will find that you have a better chance of being in a boat wreck, a car wreck, drowning, getting hit by a car crossing the street, catching the flu, sitting there having a heart attack, or even getting hit by lightning than you do of getting one of these bugs. Take reasonable precautions accordingly (e.g. don't go try to find some of this water and snort it) and enjoy your weekend.

 

[PaulyB]

Stay out of shallow stagnate water if you are worried about it. Apparently the stuff lives in the nasty warm mud and when it gets stirred up that's when the possibility appears.... I think as long as you are in deeper water and the water isn't stagnate there is a 0.000000000000000000001 percent chance of being affected by it

 

[prorider17]

I live in central FL, and this issue is known. But, the possibility of contracting an amoeba is so low, you can't be afraid to be in the water. There's a risk in every body of water. Salt water has a flesh eating bacteria. Life's short, play in the water

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

Yea and we have sharknados too!!!

 

[Venkman]

My local lake had two cases several years ago. I went to the location where the kids were swimming to see what the water looked like and I can tell you I would never let my kids swim in that water nor would I swim myself, the water was basically stagnate with a film over it. In Oklahoma it always seems to be the case that someone is swimming where anyone with any sense wouldn't even consider it.

 

[KXCam22]

I had a friend die from flesh eating bacteria but it is so rare that it is not worth worrying about. Otherwise a guy would do nothing and go nowhere. Cam.

 

[Speedling]

That's a lot like the people from my lake. It's a muddy bottom like a lot of shallow man made lakes. The history though, is what causes all the stories. It used to be that the few cottages here would just dump the toilet waste into the lake. Of course this leads to people believing there is bacteria from that still in the water, that 3 eyed fish are the norm, and that the water is brown from all the poo.
I actually read the army core report they had done a few years ago because they are hoping to dredge and apparently there is a freshwater spring at the end with a marsh that puts in some of the cleanest water you can imagine. Apparently the boats are the problem with the mucky waters and they won't dredge until the whole lake has concrete walls around the whole thing.

But what am I thinking? I should tell people that there are at least 15 deaths a year due to bacterial infections so that they stay off the water! More room for me!

 

[Joey Martinez]

we just had a boy die in Houston

Brain-eating amoeba kills 14-year-old star athlete
http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/31/health/brain-eating-amoeba-deaths/

I don't worry about it as its totally random and some people who get it might not even know and the body will fight it off and some peoples wont. I am more likly to die in a car/boating accident just got to live your life the way you want. I love being in the water and have been my whole life and I accept the risks with this.

 

[rkluck]

The article even says that is isn't known why some people are infected and millions of others aren't. It is very rare. The artical also states that most of those cases happened in Texas, Florida, Arkansas, Arizona and California. I am sorry for the families involved of course but I still plan to have my family and friends enjoy the water.

 

[DCB-270]

We had some here at Lake Murray http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2015/08/13/brain-eating-amoeba-naegleria-fowleri-oklahoma-swimmer-dead/31615135/

 

[Englewoodcowboy]

Heres the deal with this IMHO, it is something that occurs, we can't protect our kids from everything. I remember a few years back about the flesh eating parasite that a lady got while camping. It is extremely rare and I would guess that some are more prone to contracting it vs. others. This can be a thing to worry about and end your summer fun or carry on sort of like Jenny McCarthy did with the whole anti vaccine issue that could possibly cause a child to be autistic where there is no solid proof and people are going batshit crazy and no longer vaccinating their kids and now we are starting to see old diseases appear in public again... One simple fact none of us can avoid and that is we will all die... its just a matter of how, but it is not something you can stop.

 

[jarozi]

133 cases in 55 years or something like that, just buzzed across the bottom of Fox News.

 

[njmr2fan]

It's not common at all, I understand that. Comparing to the 50 (on average) who die every year of lightning strikes, the number is miniscule. Still when things like this surface, my mom gets nuts, gets my wife upset, and then as we leave their home, The kids hear grandma say "Is that worth it, to go swim in a lake and get sick " Aughhhhh! Worrying moms!!!!!