Brain-Eating Amoeba Deaths Spike in Warmer US Climate

No, it's not science fiction.

A brain-eating ameoba known as Naegleria fowleri, commonly found in warm bodies of freshwater, has killed six people this year in the US, compared with 23 from 1995 to 2004, according to the Center For Disease Control.

The rare affliction is contracted when the amoeba enters the body through the nose, typically when the victim is engaged in swimming in warm waters such as found in freshwater lakes, rivers and hot springs.

According to a report on KPHO.com in Phoenix, Michael Beach from the CDC states "This is a heat-loving amoeba. As water temperatures go up, it does better," Beach said. "In future decades, as temperatures rise, we'd expect to see more cases."

A local 14 year old in the Phoenix area was the latest victim of the brain eating amoeba, dying of the rare condition on September 17.

CDC Fact Sheet on Naegleria Infection

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