(CNN) — Tests of a Louisiana parish’s water supply confirmed the presence of a rare brain-eating amoeba blamed for last month’s death of a4-year-old boy.
The state’s Department of Health & Hospitals said Thursday that tests conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found Naegleria fowleri in St. Bernard Parish water.
The water is safe to drink, state officials said, although they cautioned against getting water in the nose.
Naegleria fowleri is found in hot springs and warm fresh water, most often in the Southeastern United States. The amoeba enters the body through the nose and travels to the brain. There is no danger of infection from drinking or cooking with contaminated water, the CDC said. Infected patients are diagnosed with primary amoebic meningoencephalitis.
