Death of Florida Girl From Rare Amoeba Infection Raises Awareness
The death of a 16-year-old Florida girl who died from a rare amoeba infection Saturday has spurred a campaign by her family and friends to raise awareness about the dangers of swimming in warm fresh water.
Courtney Nash caught the amoebic infection while swimming in a branch of Florida's St. Johns River on Aug. 3, health officials said. She started getting headaches and was taken to a local hospital in Orlando last Wednesday, family members said.
The type of infection that killed Nash affects the brain first. There are only a handful of cases each year of what is known as Amoebic meningoencephalitis. The infection is not contagious like other forms of meningitis. However, there is only an estimated 3% survival rate, according to medical reports.
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Hundreds of people, including many who attended her high school, lined the Max Brewer Bridge over the St. Johns River on Monday evening to pay her tribute. As they crowded onto one side of the bridge they dropped flower petals in honor of Nash.
"If we can save other people's lives and they don't have to go through what I went through, I just think this would be a blessing in disguise," said her mother, PJ Nash-Ryder.
Her mother has also talked in recent days about her daughter’s giving heart. At her young age, Nash had already signed off on donating her organs in the event of her death.
"They took her in last night about 4 p.m. By 8:30, both lungs were already transplanted. The liver, the pancreas, this morning they're performing another miracle for someone else. They're putting kidneys in, and they're doing several more later today," said Nash-Ryder yesterday to reporters.
"It's like this was her calling," a local TV station reported that she said. "This was what she wanted to do. It's hard."
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the rare infection occurs when water containing the amoeba enters through the nose, followed by migration of the amebae to the brain. Experts say to avoid swimming in warm fresh water (in the 80 degree range) when possible, but mainly keep head above water and nose plugged.
A Facebook page created to raise awareness about the potential threat of the deadly amoeba infection in her honor has more than 800 followers.
