Brain-Eating Amoeba Naegleria Fowleri Kills Ohio Teen After Whitewater Rafting in North Carolina
Is North Carolina's Water Park Safe?
A continued investigation has been conducted by the Centers of Disease Control over the death of an Ohio teen who may have contracted a rare bacterial infection from the U.S National Whitewater Center park.
Lauren Seitz, 18, went to North Carolina as part of the church's youth activities The group returned to Ohio on June 11 and days later, Seitz died.
Cause of Death
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Seitz's autopsy report reveals that the teen contracted an infection called Primary Amebic Meningoencephalitis caused by the brain-eating amoeba Naegleria fowleri. The deadly amoeba is commonly present in warm lakes during the summer and that it does not cause illness if swallowed but can be fatal if forced up into the nose.
There have been similar cases of deaths caused by the Naegleria fowleri in the past. Infections are typically found in the southern and southwestern states.
Is the U.S. Whitewater Center safe?
The Whitewater center is located in Catawba River, a popular spot for kayaking and whitewater rafting, which also serves as a training facility for many Olympians.
On Wednesday, the Centers for Disease Control arrived at the facility to conduct an investigation and water testing. In a news conference, Marcus Plescia, Mecklenburg County Health Director, said, "We think the Whitewater center is as safe as any body of open water. One of the things you have to realize is any time you go swimming in a lake or pond or any open water that is not treated the way a swimming pool is treated, there are things in that water that can cause illness."
Symptoms and Risk
Symptoms of a Naegleria fowleri infection are the same as bacterial meningitis, which include fever, headaches and chills. Infection from the brain-eating amoeba is extremely rare with only 10 documented cases in the U.S. from the past 53 years.
Seitz's Tragic death
Lauren graduated from Westerville South High School and was enrolled at Denison University. The school's marching band drum major was honored with a candlelight vigil last Tuesday. In honor of their daughter, Seitz's parents founded The Lauren Elisabeth Seitz Memorial Music Fund.
"She was an incredible person, so full of life," recalled by Jim Wilson, a senior pastor at The Messiah United Methodist Church. "They had one day of recreation where they stopped at the U.S. Whitewater Center and went whitewater rafting and they had a grand day."
