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The woman contracted a fatal infection caused by a brain-eating amoeba and died eight days after developing symptoms.

A Texas woman died from an infection caused by a brain-eating amoeba days after she cleaned her sinuses using tap water, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention case report.

The woman, an otherwise healthy 71-year-old, developed "severe neurologic symptoms," including fever, headache and an altered mental status, four days after she filled a nasal irrigation device with tap water from her RV's water system at a Texas campsite, the CDC report said.

She was treated for primary amebic meningoencephalitis — a brain infection caused by Naegleria fowleri, often referred to as the "brain-eating amoeba." Despite treatment, the woman experienced seizures and died from the infection eight days after she developed symptoms, the agency said.

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[-] DragonTypeWyvern@midwest.social 6 points 1 week ago

Skill issue, didn't watch House M.D.

[-] geekwithsoul@lemm.ee 4 points 1 week ago

What I don't get about this is that a gallon of distilled water is like .99 cents at your local grocery store in the US. This is not a huge problem to acquire safe water to do this.

[-] xeekei@lemmy.zip 4 points 1 week ago

Can this happen in Sweden as well? 'Cos I clean mine with shower water almost every shower.

[-] Quexotic@infosec.pub 6 points 1 week ago

Use distilled ONLY. With good chlorinated city water systems it's still very unlikely to happen, but it's such a horrible way to go, just get some distilled from the store.

[-] sem 6 points 1 week ago

The amoeba can survive chlorination, that's why boiled or distilled is necessary

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[-] VampirePenguin@midwest.social 4 points 1 week ago

Just pick your nose like a normal person. Sheesh.

[-] NigelFrobisher@aussie.zone 3 points 1 week ago

Apparently this is why you can’t actually go in the Roman Baths in Bath.

[-] NotASharkInAManSuit@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago

For as much as I despise the pool water that comes out of my tap I can at least feel safe using my neti pot.

[-] PmMeFrogMemes@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago

pool water or no, it's safer distilled water.

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[-] jsomae@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 week ago

I wonder if she'd just had rhinoplasty. A friend of mine is in recovery from that; she has to do this kind of sinus irrigation thing twice a day.

Stop cleaning your sinuses in general, your body creates that mucus for a reason.

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this post was submitted on 06 Jun 2025
515 points (100.0% liked)

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