Teenager dies in North Carolina from rare Naegleria fowleri infection
A teenager in North Carolina has died after being diagnosed with a rare infection caused by the amoeba Naegleria fowleri. The state Department of Health and Human Services said the boy died on August 31, 2026.
As The Guardian reports, the agency had previously said that the teenager was in critical condition and receiving medical care. The boy’s mother, Monica Mendoza, identified him as Moises Ponce Mendoza in a fundraising post.
Course of the illness
According to his mother, her son’s first symptom was a severe headache. On August 21, she took him to a hospital in Burlington, but he was sent home after a brief examination. The next day, his condition deteriorated sharply, and Mendoza took her son to the emergency department at the University of North Carolina hospital.
There, doctors detected an infection linked to Naegleria fowleri. In her appeal, the mother wrote that her son was in a coma and that medical staff were trying to save his life.
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How the infection is transmitted
Naegleria fowleri is a single-celled organism found in warm freshwater bodies, including ponds, lakes and rivers. According to the North Carolina Department of Health, the amoeba is not found in salt water or properly maintained chlorinated pools.
Swallowing water containing the amoeba is not dangerous, but infection can occur if contaminated water enters through the nose and reaches the brain. This can happen, in particular, while diving, jumping into water or taking part in water sports.
A rare disease
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the amoeba can cause primary amebic meningoencephalitis. Symptoms include severe headache, fever, nausea and vomiting; neck stiffness, seizures and coma may develop later. The disease often progresses rapidly and can lead to death in about five days.
Fewer than 10 such cases are usually recorded in the United States each year. According to the CDC, more than 97% of people who develop primary amebic meningoencephalitis die from the infection.
