CDC

The Arkansas Department of Health gave notice today that an Arkansan has passed away from infection by Naegleria fowleri, an unusual amoeba that assaults brain tissue.

" The Arkansas Department of Health (ADH), through an examination involving testing and inspection, concluded that the individual was likely exposed at the Country Club of Little Rock splash pad," the press release said.

The name and age of the victim was not shared.

Samples of water from the splash pad at the Country Club of Little Rock were sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and one of those samples exposed the existence of the amoeba. Other samples are still being tested.
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The water features at the Country Club of Little Rock are all now closed for the year.

" There is no continuous risk to the general public associated to this direct exposure. The Country Club of Little Rock voluntarily closed the swimming pool and splash pad, and they both stay closed," The health department news release said.
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These amoebas are not uncommon in nature, but they just hardly ever infect people. The last time an Arkansan was contaminated by a brain-eating amoeba remained in 2013, when 12-year-old Kali Hardig contracted the amoeba at a Little Rock water park. She survived.

The CDC website provides this explainer:

Naegleria fowleri is an ameba (single-celled living organism) that lives in soil and warm fresh water, such as lakes, rivers, and hot springs. It is typically called the "brain-eating ameba" since it can cause a brain infection when water containing the ameba goes up the nose. Just about three individuals in the United States get contaminated each year, however these infections are generally deadly.

Check out the full news release from the Arkansas Department of Health here.

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