It is recommended to use sterile or boiling water! A foreign man died of brain-eating worm infection after using tap water to rinse his nasal cavity

China Science and Technology News Network, March 6 (Wang Siyan) According to foreign media reports, a man in Florida, USA, died of infection with brain-eating amoeba, and the source of infection may be caused by flushing the nasal cavity with tap water. Local authorities recommend that people should try to use sterile or boiled water to flush the nasal cavity.

The "brain-eating amoeba" is scientifically named Naegleria fowleri. It belongs to the amoeba and is a highly pathogenic single-cell protozoan. Most of them are only 10-30 microns and usually live in soil and warm freshwater environments. It can enter the human body through the nose and migrate to the brain. Once in the brain, the amoeba eats brain cells and causes massive inflammation, leading to primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM). The initial symptoms include severe headache, fever and nausea, and then quickly develop into neurological problems such as epilepsy, hallucinations and coma.

Since the amoeba was discovered in the 1960s, there have been about 150 reported cases of PAM in the United States, with between zero and five cases reported each year. But once symptoms develop, the infection is more than 97 percent fatal, usually within two weeks of exposure. This is the first case of Naegleria fowleri reported this year and the first recorded case in Florida linked to tap water, according to the CDC.

Most cases of Naegleria fowleri are thought to be caused by water entering the nose while swimming in a freshwater environment such as a lake, but the amoeba can survive in drinking water systems or low-chlorination pools. In a few cases, such as this one, it enters the brain through nasal irrigation with tap water.

Florida officials said they are investigating the source of the water where the man may have been infected with the amoeba. If it is found in the local system, it can be removed with disinfectants. But people are advised not to rinse their nasal cavity directly with tap water. Distilled or sterile water can be used. If tap water is used, it should be boiled. Go to a regular swimming pool for swimming; when swimming, you should avoid activities such as diving, diving or holding your breath in the water that can easily cause water to enter the nasal cavity. If you experience fever, headache, stiff neck and vomiting after swimming, you should seek medical attention immediately.