LAKE OF THE OZARKS, Mo. (KMOV/Gray News) – A man in Missouri contracted a rare brain-eating amoeba, and officials believe he likely got it while water skiing at the Lake of the Ozarks.
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services has confirmed the case of Naegleria fowleri, an amoeba that can cause a rare, deadly brain-eating infection called primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM).
Fewer than 10 people in the United States a year get PAM. While the infection is very rare, it is almost always fatal.
The patient is from Missouri, officials said.
Few details were given, but the patient is currently still in the ICU in St. Louis as of Thursday.
Lake of the Ozarks in central Missouri is a popular vacation destination for boating and water sports. The most popular part of the lake is about 3 hours west of St. Louis.
The area also became nationally known, thanks to the hit Netflix series “Ozark.”
The health department said that while not confirmed, preliminary information suggests the man was water skiing at the Lake of the Ozarks before getting sick.
The health department said Naegleria fowleri is common and naturally present in warm freshwater. However, contracting the deadly infection from it is rare.
Patients get the infection from water going up their nose. The amoeba then enters the brain. You cannot get the infection from swallowing water, the CDC says.
Doctors urge everyone to hold their nose closed when going underwater in lakes, rivers and other bodies of water.
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