A woman reportedly died after swimming in an indoor pool that was infected with brain-eating amoeba.
The 30-year-old woman died after contracting a rare and deadly brain-eating amoeba in Taiwan, as reported by the Daily Mail.
The woman is believed to have contracted Naegleria fowleri, a microorganism with a 97 percent fatality rate while learning to surf in a wave pool at a water park in New Taipei City.
The infection likely occurred when water entered her nose, which is the primary route through which the amoeba infects individuals.
She was hospitalized after experiencing severe symptoms, including seizures, headaches, fever, and stiffness in her neck and shoulders.
Despite medical intervention, she died just three days later.
During a news briefing, Tseng Shu-huai, Deputy Director-General of Taiwan's Centers for Disease Control (CDC), confirmed that traces of N. fowleri were found in the woman, who ultimately succumbed to meningitis.
Health officials in Taiwan conducted tests at the water park following the woman's death. The results showed that chlorine levels in the pools were insufficient to kill the deadly amoeba.
Further investigation revealed the presence of Naegleria fowleri in a puddle located in the center's basement. Officials believe the amoeba may have spread to the pools through staff footwear after employees stepped in the contaminated puddle.
Naegleria fowleri thrives in warm freshwater and can enter the human body through the nose, traveling up the olfactory nerve to the brain, where it causes severe tissue damage and fatal swelling.
Infections are rare but almost always fatal. In the United States, only four out of 135 recorded cases have survived, with some survivors suffering significant brain damage, per the CDC.
Out of 56 samples taken from the water park, only one tested positive for Naegleria fowleri, found in a basement puddle beneath the chlorination tanks.
Experts suggested that this puddle might have been the source of contamination, with staff potentially carrying the amoeba to the pool area.
The water park's staff stated that they change the water in the facility every two to three months and add chlorine daily, though the results of these tests were not disclosed.
Health authorities reached out to 12 employees and 630 customers who visited the park around the same time as the victim, but no additional cases of Naegleria fowleri infection were reported.
