A 17-year-old girl from Georgia has tragically become the third person this year to die from a brain-eating amoeba in the US.
Megan Ebenroth, of Dearing, in McDuffie County near Augusta, died on July 22 just eleven days after swimming with friends in a freshwater lake.
She was infected by a single-celled organism – called Naegleria fowleri – that can enter swimmers’ noses and travel along nerves to the brain.
Her family said she was a straight A student who dreamed of going to 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 also reportedly died of the infection after rinsing his nose with tap water.
Megan Ebenroth, of Dearing, in the eastern part of the state, died eleven days after swimming in a lake near her home. Doctors diagnosed her with a Naegleria fowleri infection
The Georgia Department of Public Health and her mother did not reveal where she had been swimming before becoming infected. But a family member said online that she was swimming in Clark Hill Lake in McDuffie County, Georgia. When the accusation was brought to local authorities, they said the amoeba could be present in any lake, river or pond.
Megan is survived by her mother Christina (second from right), father Steve (left), and older brother Matt (second from left)
Megan is also the sixth person to die from the disease in Georgia since 1962 — which is fatal in more than 97 percent of cases.
While rare, scientists warn that warming temperatures are warming freshwater lakes — causing the amoeba to multiply and increase the risk of infection.
As a tribute to her daughter, Christina told the Atlanta Journal Constitution: ‘I’m still in shock. But I can’t shut up 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, honey, you are.’”
Her mother revealed how Megan was the vice president of her high school’s Spanish club and had just started playing tennis for the school team. She dreamed of studying at the University of Georgia.
The Georgia Department of Public Health did not disclose which lake she swam in shortly before being diagnosed.
Her mother has not revealed the location either, saying it is a popular lake with families and her daughter’s infection was a freak event. She doesn’t want the memories of the area to be affected.
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.
When asked for comment, a spokeswoman for the DPH told DailyMail.com that the “main message” was that the amoeba could 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.
It is estimated that about four million people visit this lake each year, where families can picnic, 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 awoke with a severe headache and was taken to the emergency room, 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 next to Megan that night, but when they woke up the next morning, she found her daughter had a high fever.
They rushed to the ER at Doctors Hospital in Augusta, where she underwent blood work and 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 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, dedicated to helping others
Four days after swimming in the lake near her house, she developed a severe headache
Ms Ebenroth said doctors did not name 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 fresh water and causes infection when inhaled through the nose rather than ingested.
Once there, it travels through the nerves to the brain where the amoeba launches an attack.
Warning signs of infection begin about five days after infection and include 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 the hospital battling the infection.
Doctors treat the infection with a range of drugs known to kill the amoeba, allowing patients to fight off the infection.
The number of cases has increased in recent years, which scientists say is due to a combination of higher temperatures and increasing awareness of the disease, meaning more infections are being diagnosed.
The Georgia Department of Public Health has advised people not to swim in hot water to avoid becoming infected.
Warning that the disease is becoming more common, Dr. Dennis Kyle, the chief of cell biology at the University of Georgia FOX8“We are experiencing warmer temperatures and these amoebae are thermally tolerant…so the number of amoebae will be higher.”
“Warmer climate means, yes, more exposure and more cases.”
He added that over the past four to five years, the number of reported cases had “increased significantly.”
Megan is also survived by her father Steve and older brother Matt.
Her funeral took place on July 27 and was attended by numerous friends and family.
A friend wrote a tribute to her online, saying: ‘Megan was such a lovely young lady and amazing at her job at the NHM.
“I loved getting to know her at work and she is sorely missed! Prayers and hugs for all her family.”
Another said, “Megan, you always had a smile to share, time to give, and time to give.” You were a special friend and we will always miss you!’