this post was submitted on 06 Jun 2025
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The woman contracted a fatal infection caused by a brain-eating amoeba and died eight days after developing symptoms.

A Texas woman died from an infection caused by a brain-eating amoeba days after she cleaned her sinuses using tap water, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention case report.

The woman, an otherwise healthy 71-year-old, developed "severe neurologic symptoms," including fever, headache and an altered mental status, four days after she filled a nasal irrigation device with tap water from her RV's water system at a Texas campsite, the CDC report said.

She was treated for primary amebic meningoencephalitis — a brain infection caused by Naegleria fowleri, often referred to as the "brain-eating amoeba." Despite treatment, the woman experienced seizures and died from the infection eight days after she developed symptoms, the agency said.

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[–] Raiderkev@lemmy.world 20 points 1 day ago (3 children)

To be fair, I made this error before. I was like why do they have those dumbass neti pots when you can just use shower water for free? Then that night I read about brain eating amebas and freaked tf out. In a panic I tried to boil some water to rinse my sinuses with, and since I was so panicked, I didn't wait long enough to let the water cool completely, and I'm pretty sure I burnt my sinuses and maybe even the part of my brain that's right there. I had a splitting headache for like a month and thought I was gonna die n had the brain eating ameba. I think in hindsight what's more likely is my sinuses and everything were burnt and my body was freaking out trying to fix it. 0/10 do not recommend.

Use a neti pot and use boiled or distilled water. Don't be a dummy like me.

[–] WorldsDumbestMan@lemmy.today 1 points 8 hours ago

Your Alzhaimer's chance just increased dramatically.

[–] FuckFascism@lemmy.world 9 points 1 day ago

I won't, I'll be a different kind of dummy.

[–] Quexotic@infosec.pub 3 points 1 day ago

You just gave me a secondhand headache. Please be careful.