KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Missouri man infected with Naegleria fowleri, which typically infects people when water containing the ameba enters the body through the nose, has died, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services confirmed to CNN Friday night the man died after swimming at an Iowa beach.
The victim's name will not be released.
Information from the CDC states Naegleria fowleri typically occurs when people go swimming or diving in warm freshwater places, like lakes and rivers.
The Naegleria fowleri ameba then travels up the nose to the brain, where it destroys the brain tissue.
You cannot be infected with Naegleria fowleri by drinking contaminated water, according to the CDC.
In very rare instances, Naegleria infections may also occur when contaminated water from other sources (such as inadequately chlorinated swimming pool water or contaminated tap water) enters the nose.
Such instances include when people submerge their heads or cleanse their noses during religious practices and when people irrigate their sinuses using contaminated tap water, CDC information states.
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