A Georgia teen is the latest victim of a brain-eating amoeba that has killed three people so far in the United States.
Megan Ebenroth, 17, originally from McDuffie County near Augusta, is believed to have been infected by the amoeba while swimming in a freshwater lake on a day out with her friends 11 days before her death.
Swimmer can inhale the single-cell organism, known scientifically as Naegleria fowleri, through the nose before it travels along the nerves into the brain.
Megan’s family described her as a straight-A student with a passion for tennis and Spanish. They said she had been hoping to study at the University of Georgia once she graduated next year.
Mom Christina Ebenroth called the teen “extraordinary” and her “best friend”.
Speaking to the Atlanta Journal-Courier, she said: “I’m still in shock. But I can’t keep silent about her. She was extraordinary.
“She was my world. She would tell people I was her best friend, and I would say, ‘Honey, I can’t be your best friend’.
“And about three weeks ago, she said, ‘Come on, Mom, you know I’m your best friend’, and I said, ‘Yes baby, you are’.”
Christina insisted Megan’s death was the result of a “freak accident” and she refused to share details about the lake at which she came into contact with the brain-eating amoeba.
She noted it was a popular location among residents, saying she did not want to tarnish the reputation of the area.
The Georgia Department of Public Health has also declined to share details about the location.
The DPH insisted the “most important message” is that the amoeba could be “in any freshwater lake, river or pond in Georgia”.
A spokeswoman told the Daily Mail: “While the risk is low, people should assume it is there and take appropriate prevention measures.”
Megan headed to the lake with friends on July 11, waking up four days later with a splitting headache and resulted in a visit to the ER, where she was treated for migraine and given antibiotics.
Christina said she spent the night sleeping next to her daughter and found she had developed a very high fever by the next morning. Megan was transferred to the Children’s Hospital of Georgia after undergoing a first series of tests.
At the hospital, she was intubated and underwent surgery to her head in a desperate attempt to alleviate pressure on her swelling brain.
The doctors didn’t diagnose Megan’s condition until the day before her death, July 22. The amoeba can only survive in freshwater and once inhaled travels up the nerves until it reaches the brain.
Symptoms of infection show up after approximately five days and include headaches, vomiting, sudden fever and stiff neck. The disease is fatal in more than 97 percent of the cases.
The teen’s death comes only weeks after the death of a two-year-old boy from Nevada. He is believed to have ingested the organism while also swimming in a lake.
A man in Florida was also reported to have died after rinsing his nose with infected tap water.
Cases have increased in recent years, with scientists suggesting the higher infection rates are the result of warmer temperatures and more awareness, meaning the infection is reported more frequently.
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