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5-year-old girl falls into coma after contracting brain-eating amoeba from hot spring

A 5-year-old girl contracted a brain-eating amoeba after bathing in a hot spring in Xiamen, Fujian, China, on 7 and 14 June.

On 22 June, she began to experience a low-grade fever, headache, and vomiting.

After being admitted to a hospital on 23 June, her condition rapidly worsened, convulsing and falling into a coma.

The following day, she was intubated and put on a ventilator to assist her breathing as she was no longer able to breathe on her own.

Currently, the girl is being given care at the hospital’s intensive care unit. However, the prognosis is bleak.

Her body is no longer able to maintain its temperature and blood pressure, indicating severe damage to her heart and brain functions.

Source: Weibo

Condition has an up to 98% mortality rate

According to Oriental Daily, the girl was later diagnosed to have been infected by a brain-eating amoeba called Naegleria fowleri.

The condition has a mortality rate of up to 98%, and even if she survived, she would likely be in a vegetative state.

Dr Wang Xinyu, deputy director of the infectious department at Huashan Hospital, said brain-eating amoeba has a low probability of infection, but most infectees are young children and adolescents.

It reaches the brain through the olfactory nerve and reproduces rapidly, leaving very little time for the body’s immune system to react.

The amoeba has the ability to multiply in just a few hours, causing surrounding tissues to die.

As its early symptoms — such as high fever, severe headache, vomiting, and stiff neck — are similar to common meningitis, the best treatment window is often missed before the patient gets diagnosed.

Expert advises against swimming in the wild

According to Dr Wang, warm fresh water in lakes, hot springs, rivers, and paddling pools often cause the infection.

If you have to swim in the wild, wear a nose clip and goggles, and avoid kicking sediments to keep amoebas from spreading in the water, he advised.

Image courtesy of rogkov on Canva for illustration purposes only.

Flush the nasal cavity with bottled water immediately after swimming, then clean it again with warm boiled water at home.

Dr Wang also advised those who suffer symptoms to seek medical attention immediately and inform the doctor that they had ingested water from a specific body of water.

Treatment may be possible, but early detection and treatment are needed.

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Girl in Vietnam dies after squeezing pimples at home, diagnosed with skin infection

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