'Brain-Eating Amoeba' Infection Claims Child's Life in Texas

The microorganism that caused the infection that resulted in the child’s death was discovered in water samples collected from one of Arlington’s public splash pads.

A boy in Texas perished after being hospitalised with a rare and often fatal infection called primary amoebic meningoencephalitis.

According to AP, officials in the city of Arlington have announced that on 5 September the city and Tarrant County Public Health were notified about the child’s hospitalisation. The boy, whose identity the officials did not reveal, died at the hospital on 11 September.

Following an investigation launched after health officials learned of the boy’s condition, city officials said that the CDC had confirmed the presence of the naegleria fowleri – a species of microorganism often referred to as a "brain-eating amoeba" – in water samples from the Don Misenhimer Park splash pad.

Deputy City Manager Lemuel Randolph said that a review "identified gaps in our daily inspection programme", adding: “Those gaps resulted in us not meeting our maintenance standards at our splash pads."

A review of inspection log at the Don Misenhimer Park splash pad revealed that water chlorination readings weren’t documented on two of the three dates that the now deceased child visited the venue in late August and early September, city officials said.

They also mentioned that records from two splash pads – at Don Misenhimer Park and the Beacon Recreation Center – show that Parks and Recreation employees "didn't consistently record, or in some cases did not conduct, the water quality testing that's required prior to the facilities opening each day", as AP put it.

City officials noted, however, that Arlington drinking water supply was not affected, and that the afflicted splash pad is equipped with a device designed to isolate the water there from the city’s water distribution centre.

The Naegleria fowleri infections occur when water that contains the microorganism enters the body through the nose, usually during swimming or diving. Such infections are rare, with only 34 cases reported in the United States between 2010 and 2019, AP points out, citing the CDC.