Daily US Times: After a deadly brain-eating microbe was found in the city’s public water supply, residents of Lake Jackson, Texas, have been warned about using tap water.
Tests confirmed the presence of Naegleria fowleri in the water system. The amoeba can cause an infection of the brain, which is usually fatal.
Infections are rare in the United States, with 34 reported between 2009 and 2018.
Lake Jackson officials said they were disinfecting the water supply but did not know how long this would take.
On Friday night, eight Texas communities were originally told not to use their water supply for any reason except to flush toilets. The warning was lifted a day later for everywhere but Lake Jackson, a city of more than 27,000 residents.
Lake Jackson officials later said that people could begin using the water, but must boil it before drinking it. Residents were also told to take other measures, including not allowing water to go up their noses while bathing or showering.
The city warned that elderly people, children and people with weakened immune systems were “particularly vulnerable”.
Authorities said they were flushing the water system, and would then carry out tests to ensure the water was safe to use.
Lake Jackson City Manager Modesto Mundo told reporters that an investigation into the city’s water supply began after a six-year-old boy contracted the microbe and died earlier this month.
Naegleria fowleri occurs naturally in freshwater and is found across the world. It usually infects people when contaminated water enters the body through the nose and then travels to the brain.
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