Brain-eating amoeba infects water supply in Texas

WASHINGTON DC: Authorities in Texas issued a Disaster Declaration after a brain-eating amoeba was found in southeast Texas’ water supply. The residents in and around Texas received water advisory from The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality warning them not to use any water due to the presence of Naegleria fowleri, a brain-eating amoeba. The death of a 6-year-old in Lake Jackson this month prompted the authorities and experts to test the water.

The brain-eating amoeba is known to be found in soil, warm lakes, rivers, and hot springs. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it can also be found in poorly maintained water bodies, unchlorinated pools, and warm water discharge from industrial plants. Naeglerian fowleri infections are rare but fatal in most cases. According to a report by the CDC, 145 people were infected from 1962 to 2018 and only four of them survived.

The “Do Not Use Water Advisory” was issued for residents of Lake Jackson, Richwood, Freeport, Brazoria, Angleton, Oyster Creek, Clute, and Rosenberg. The advisory was also issued to the Dow Chemical plant in Freeport and the Clemens and Wayne Scott Texas Department of Criminal Justice corrections facilities. Greg Abbott, Governor, Texas, said, “The state of Texas is taking swift action to respond to the situation and support the communities whose water systems have been impacted by this amoeba.”