Person in Florida dies after brain-eating amoeba infection, possibly due to sinus rinse with tap water, health officials warn

The recent death of a person in Charlotte County, Florida, after an infection with the rare brain-eating amoeba Naegleria fowleri has prompted local health officials to issue a warning.

 

The infection might have resulted from “sinus rinse practices utilizing tap water,” according to the Florida Department of Health in Charlotte County.

 

Infection with Naegleria fowleri “can only happen when water contaminated with amoebae enters the body through the nose,” the agency said in a statement.

 

The department warned residents to use only distilled or sterile water when making sinus rinse solutions. If you must use tap water, it should be boiled for at least a minute and cooled first.

 

Tap water that has not been sterilized isn’t safe to use as a nasal rinse because it’s not adequately filtered or treated. It may contain low levels of microorganisms such as bacteria and protozoa, including amoebas, according to the US Food and Drug Administration. People cannot be infected by drinking tap water, as stomach acid typically kills those organisms.