North Carolina teen who contracted brain-eating amoeba dies
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Updated: 11:43 AM EDT Sep 1, 2026Editorial Standards ⓘ
Starletta Watson
North Carolina teen who contracted brain-eating amoeba dies
Updated: 11:43 AM EDT Sep 1, 2026Editorial Standards ⓘ
Starletta Watson
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. —
After contracting a brain-eating amoeba and fighting a rare infection, a teenager from North Carolina has died
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services announced that the teen succumbed to the severe illness on Monday, August 31
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It was first reported that the teen contracted the infection from Naegleria fowleri, a microscopic amoeba found in warm freshwater. Naegleria fowleri is often found in ponds, lakes and rivers, though health officials did not specify where the teen got it from. NCDHHS said that the department is working to find thease Control and Prevention and local health departments
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The NCDHHS announced the teen was in the hospital critically ill on Thursday, Aug. 28. The infection — known as primary amebic meningoencephalitis, or PAM – has a high death rate and fewer than 10 people each year get the rare infection
NCDHHS has not released any further details to protect the identity of the teenager and the family’s privacy
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