Brain-eating amoebas blamed in three deaths
By Madison Park, CNN
It's eerie but it's true: Three people have died this summer after suffering rare infections from a waterborne amoeba that destroys the brain.
This is the time of year when there is an uptick in cases. The amoebas flourish in the heat - especially during the summer months in the South, thriving in warm waters where people swim.
Health officials usually record about two to three cases in a given year - 1980 was the highest with eight deaths. And most of the time, they occur in children and teenagers.
"These are rare infections, but super tragic for families," said Jonathan Yoder, the waterborne disease and outbreak surveillance coordinator at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "We don't want to minimize how hard it is for families."
CONTINUE (+VIDEO) AT: http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/08/17/amoeba.kids.deaths/index.html
By Madison Park, CNN
It's eerie but it's true: Three people have died this summer after suffering rare infections from a waterborne amoeba that destroys the brain.
This is the time of year when there is an uptick in cases. The amoebas flourish in the heat - especially during the summer months in the South, thriving in warm waters where people swim.
Health officials usually record about two to three cases in a given year - 1980 was the highest with eight deaths. And most of the time, they occur in children and teenagers.
"These are rare infections, but super tragic for families," said Jonathan Yoder, the waterborne disease and outbreak surveillance coordinator at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "We don't want to minimize how hard it is for families."
CONTINUE (+VIDEO) AT: http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/08/17/amoeba.kids.deaths/index.html
