A 17-year-old Georgia girl has tragically become the third person this year to die from a brain-eating amoeba in the US.
Megan Ebenroth, from Dearing, in McDuffie County near Augusta, died on July 22 just 11 days after swimming in a freshwater lake with friends.
She was infected by a single-celled organism — called Naegleria fowleri — that can get up the nose of swimmers and travel along nerves to the brain.
Her family said she was a straight-A student who dreamed of going to college at the University of Georgia.
Her death follows that of a two-year-old boy in Nevada who contracted the infection after swimming in a lake. In February, a man in Florida was also reported to have died from the infection after rinsing his nose with tap water.
Megan Ebenroth, from Dearing, in the east of the state, died 11 days after swimming at a lake near her home. Doctors diagnosed her with a Naegleria fowleri infection
The Georgia Department of Public Health and her mother have not revealed where she had swum before becoming infected. But a family member said online that she had been swimming at Clark Hill Lake in McDuffie County, Georgia. When the allegation was put to the local authorities, they said that the amoeba could be present in any lake, river or pond
Megan is survived by her mother Christina (second right), father Steve (left) and older brother Matt (second left)
Megan is also the sixth person to die from the disease — which is fatal in more than 97 percent of cases — in Georgia since 1962.
Although rare, scientists caution that warming temperatures are heating freshwater lakes — causing the amoeba to proliferate and raising the risk of infection.
Paying tribute to her daughter, Christina told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: ‘I’m still in shock. But I can’t keep silent about her. She was extraordinary.
‘She was my world. She would tell people I was her best friend, and I would say, “Honey, I can’t be your best friend”.
‘And about three weeks ago, she said, “Come on, Mom, you know I’m your best friend”, and I said, “Yes baby, you are”.’
Her mother revealed how Megan was vice president of her high school’s Spanish club and had just started playing tennis for the school team. She had dreams of studying at the University of Georgia.
The Georgia Department of Public Health has not revealed which lake she swam in shortly before being diagnosed.
Her mother has also not revealed the location, saying it is a popular lake with families and that her daughter’s infection was a freak event. She doesn’t want memories of the area to be tarnished.
But her mother’s sister, Kathy Hardigree, has claimed on social media that Megan became infected after swimming in Clark Hill Lake in McDuffie County, Georgia.
Asked for comment, a spokeswoman for the DPH told DailyMail.com the ‘most important message’ was that the amoeba can be ‘in any freshwater lake, river or pond in Georgia’.
‘While the risk is low, people should assume it is there and take appropriate prevention measures,’ she added.
About four million people visit this lake every year, estimates suggest, where families can have picnics, kayak, water ski and even camp on the water’s edge.
Megan last went swimming in the lake with friends on July 11, her mother said.
Four days later she woke up with a bad headache and was taken to emergency care, where she was treated for a migraine.
That day her mother also tried the local Emergency Room (ER), where Megan was prescribed antibiotics for a possible sinus infection and sent home.
Christina slept by Megan’s side that night but when they awoke the next morning she found her daughter had a high fever.
They rushed to the ER at Doctors Hospital of Augusta where she underwent blood tests and received IV fluids before being transferred to the Children’s Hospital of Georgia.
She was intubated for several days and, at one point, even had her skull cut open to help relieve pressure on her swelling brain.
Megan was a rising star, proficient in Spanish, a tennis player and the president of the local Beta Club, which is dedicated to helping others
She started suffering a severe headache four days after she had swum in the lake near her home
Ms Ebenroth said doctors did not mention Naegleria fowleri as a possible cause of her daughter’s illness until July 21, just one day before Megan’s death.
The amoeba can only survive in freshwater and triggers an infection when it is inhaled up the nose, rather than swallowed.
Once there, it travels up the nerves into the brain where the amoeba launches an attack.
Warning signs of infection begin about five days after infection and include a sudden fever, headache, vomiting and a stiff neck.
Later stages of the disease include confusion, seizures, hallucinations and a coma before death.
The disease is fatal in more than 97 percent of cases, but at least five Americans are known to have survived the disease. The latest was a 14-year-old boy in Florida who spent nearly a year in hospital fighting the infection.
Doctors treat the infection with a swathe of drugs that are known to kill the amoeba, helping patients battle off the infection.
Cases have risen in recent years which scientists say is down to a combination of warmer temperatures and rising awareness of the disease, meaning that more infections are being diagnosed.
The Georgia Department of Public Health has advised people to avoid swimming in warm water in order not to become infected.
Warning the disease is becoming more common Dr Dennis Kyle, the head of cellular biology at the University of Georgia, told FOX8: ‘We are experiencing warmer temperatures, and these amoebae are thermal-tolerant… so the numbers of amoeba will be higher.
‘Warmer climate means, yes, more exposure and more cases.’
He added that in the last four to five years the number of cases reported had ‘significantly increased’.
Megan is also survived by her father Steve and older brother Matt.
Her funeral was held on July 27 and was attended by friends and family.
Writing a tribute to her online, one friend said: ‘Megan was such a sweet young lady and great at her job at the NHM.
‘I enjoyed getting to know her at work and she is very much missed! Prayers and hugs for all her family.’
Another said: ‘Megan you always had a smile to share, time to give and time to care. You were a special friend and we will always miss you!’
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