Boy dies from brain-eating amoeba found at Texas splash pad

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — A kid has died aft being infected with a uncommon brain-eating amoeba that was recovered astatine a Texas splash pad.

Officials successful Arlington said Monday that the metropolis and Tarrant County Public Health were notified connected Sept. 5 that a kid was hospitalized with superior amebic meningoencephalitis, a uncommon and often fatal infection.

The lad died connected Sept. 11. Health officials closed each of the city’s nationalist splash pads.

The lad had visited the Don Misenhimer Park splash pad respective times successful caller weeks and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed the beingness of the ameba successful h2o samples from determination connected Friday.

A metropolis reappraisal discovered lapses successful h2o prime investigating astatine respective parks.

“Those gaps resulted successful america not gathering our attraction standards astatine our splash pads. All of the splash pads volition stay closed until we person assurance that our systems are operating arsenic they should, and we person confirmed a attraction protocol accordant with city, region and authorities standards,” said Deputy City Manager Lemuel Randolph.

Officials accidental the hazard of corruption with this benignant of ameba is precise low, with lone 34 reported infections successful the U.S. betwixt 2010 and 2019. It infects radical erstwhile h2o containing the ameba enters the assemblage done the nose, typically erstwhile swimming oregon diving successful lukewarm freshwater places, specified arsenic lakes and rivers.

In precise uncommon instances, officials accidental the ameba has been identified successful different sources, specified arsenic inadequately chlorinated swimming excavation h2o oregon heated and contaminated pat water.